Currently Obscure
by havin-habit
Summary: Au fic. A thief named Anko gets in over her head when she trys to steal a mysterious necklace owned by the wealthy Kakashi. What are the secrets behind both of their pasts, and the cursed necklace. Rated T for language and some sugestiveness. KakashiAnko
1. Prolouge: so close, but no banana

**A/N- **Ahhh, its nice to be back. I've been working on a whole lotta stuff lately, but I scraped everything and started working on this. It's fun! I like this story. Hope you do too!

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Naruto. Rah, Rah, Rah.

**Prologue**

This was probably her simplest mission yet, another in a long line of easily obtainable objects.

"Five more meters." She told herself calmly. This was nothing. A piece of cake.

"Three more meters."

The diamonds embedded into the necklace were sparkling despite the lack of light, almost as if they secretly had their own source of brilliance. Her fingers twitched in anticipation as her feet swung gracefully in between the nearly invisible red lasers. Besides the motion detectors, security in this room was minimal. After all, this room wasn't even supposed to exist. There weren't any cameras or noisy alarms in this room, and there were very few sensors. Why would there be? No need to guard an imaginary room and no need to draw attention to it either.

"Finally!" she sighed as she picked up the Plexiglas case, the one that held the necklace that didn't exist. "I've waited too damn long to get my hands on you." An arm suddenly wrapped around her waist, another brushing above her chest and grasping on to her shoulder.

"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing." She froze; there was only one person who had the clearance to be in this room unsupervised, only one person who would have the audacity to clasp onto her in such an abrupt manner, and only one person who had such an irresistibly smooth voice.

"Hatake Kakashi, long time no see."

He chuckled, "Missed you to Anko. Care to tell me why you're trying to take that necklace."

"Which one? The one that was supposed to have fallen off the face of the earth fifteen years ago?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, that necklace."

She pouted for a moment, plotting her next move. "No." Apparently stalling was the only way to go.

He sighed, "I had no idea that you added 'the ability to be incredibly childish' to your long list of skills." Anko bit her lip nervously as she struggled to formulate a plan of action. "I take it by your silence you have no idea what to do." Damn him and his uncanny knack to read her like a book.

"Nonsense, I just decided to give you the cold shoulder instead of hurting your feelings with a mean comeback."

"You're not that considerate." He scoffed, brushing his fingers across the bare skin around her neck, "Besides, your shoulder feels quite warm." Damn those hands. Damn them straight to heck. An unruly blush painted her face as his fingers traveled up her neck and cupped her cheek. "Your face is feeling pretty warm as well. I never pinned you as the type to blush Anko."

"I'm not blushing." Came her muted reply. She needed a way out of here, fast. Preferably before he made her go insane. "Cut the crap Kakashi, are you gonna let me go, or are you gonna _attempt_ to fight me again."

"Neither" he replied, smirking as he stabbed a needle into her neck and injected some unknown substance. The last thing she saw was the pale light glittering off the diamonds. So close, but no banana.

Muwahahaha! the prolouge. I love this prolouge. I had the best time writing it. Chapter one will be out soon! like later today or tommorow soon. Reviews are loved! but if you don't feel like it than dont bother. I can't whine about it because I myself am to lazy to review half the time.

Next time...

Instead of answering, Kakashi lowered her in a dip, and then swiftly brought her back up, crushing her against his chest. "Maybe I secretly just wanted to get to know you better?" A gulping noise was emitted from Anko as she swallowed the unwelcome frog that had appeared in her throat. Seeming pleased at her response, Kakashi just smirked. "This room is a little crowded for this type of discussion. What say we head out to the guest house?"


	2. First Confrentation

**A/N- **Seee, I told you I'd update soon. anyways. this chapter takes place 5 years before the prolouge. Yippee! It's the first time Anko meets Kakashi. Wooooot! My apologies for any OOC-ness. Moving on,

Lots of love, hugs, and buttered toast to my lovely reviewers! You guys have seriously feuled my fire for this story. Extra kudos for Dreamer-by-Day, my first reviewer! yea!

**Chapter **

5 years earlier…

This party was a drag. All the parties held by the notably wealthy were, but Anko didn't care. She was here for something far more valuable than social appearances. Good thing she wasn't here for the small talk and distinguished guest, although the champagne was quite nice. Finishing off another glass, she scanned the room for the discreetly placed security guards. Five. This was way too easy. Gliding silently through the guest she headed for the exit next to the restrooms. No one ever guarded the restrooms, especially the ladies restroom. With her eye on the prize she sped up the pace, that is until a tight hand around her wrist stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I know who you are, and I know exactly what you're about to do." Thinking on her feet she turned to face the person who had interrupted her.

"I realize going to the bathroom can be quite dangerous, what with the possibility of falling into the toilet, but is that really any reason to stop me from going?" A pair of black eyes (**A/N- **they're black aren't they? I was getting seriously confused. Just correct me if I'm wrong) glared back at her.

"Don't even try that excuse. You know what I'm talking about."

"Enlighten me."

"I'm talking about the fact that you're about to steal a very valuable set of bracelets from my friend Asuma's new bride." Asuma….that name sounded familiar. Oh, right, that was the guy who owned the house she was on her way to raid.

"What the hell are you rambling on about?" better play dumb and figure what else he knows.

"My people have been tracking you for a year, ever since you stole the Hokage necklace at Lady Tsunade's annual sake tasting social. Sorry Anko, but I can't let you steal from my best friend."

"Right, but every other person was inconsequential." No point in denying it any more, he knew everything.

"Either you leave, or I report you." She weighed her options for a moment. The hand around her wrist tightened.

"Hey Kakashi!" some bearded man, who had impeccable timing no doubt, decided to come over and interrupt their little conversation.

"Asuma!" Kakashi's voice was strained.

"Kurenai has been bugging me to go over and talk to you all night." Asuma walked over and studied Anko for a moment. "Why I don't believe we've met." He extended his hand in a greeting, but noticed that Kakashi had a rather tight grip on the woman's wrist.

"This is Matarshi Anko. Anko, this is Sarutobi Asuma."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Anko." Forcing a smile, she nodded her head.

"Hate to cut this introduction short, but this lovely lady and I were just about to dance." Kakashi turned to Anko, shooting her a 'just go with the flow' sort of look.

"Well don't let me stop you!" Asuma chuckled as he stepped to the side allowing Kakashi to pass. "I'll talk to you later." He added, indicating that Kakashi would have some explaining to do. Kakashi just nodded in response as he guided Anko out onto the dance floor.

Wrapping one hand around her waist, and sliding the hand around her wrist into her palm, Kakashi led her in a rather slow paced waltz. In any other case it would have been quite romantic, but this was a special case.

"What exactly do you know about me, Hatake Kakashi, owner of the Chidori diamond." Kakashi smirked at her subtle way of letting him know that he wasn't the only one that was well informed.

"Matarshi Anko, the notorious, yet highly mysterious thief. You steal prominent, but relatively obscure pieces from the distinguished wealth of Konoha. Specializing in jewelry and precious stones, you often steal items in the middle of large gatherings, right under everyone's nose. Most of the rich and famous know very little about you, and never needed to since your taste is so critical. You're hardly a threat to most."

"But I am a threat to you." She interrupted. "Other wise you would be just as ignorant as your friend Asuma. What is it you're so desperate to protect Kakashi?"

"You said it yourself, my prized diamond." Eyeing him suspiciously, she looked for any hint that he was lying.

"Come on, everyone knows about that diamond. Why would I steal that?" Instead of answering, Kakashi lowered her in a dip, and then swiftly brought her back up, crushing her against his chest.

"Maybe I secretly just wanted to get to know you better?" A gulping noise was emitted from Anko as she swallowed the unwelcome frog that had appeared in her throat. Seeming pleased at her response, Kakashi just smirked. "This room is a little crowded for this type of discussion. What say we head out to the guest house?" Anko debated whether or not she should follow this man. Upon deciding that there may be some valuables in the guest house, and that this would be her only opportunity to steal them, she followed him towards the exit on the far left of the ballroom. Sure, valuables. That's why she was going.

* * *

The guest house was just as big and over the top as the main house. Crystal chandeliers, high ceilings, posh furniture; the living room alone was bigger then Anko's apartment. Circling around, she took in the full view of the extravagance and splendor she stole, but could never indulge.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Oh please. Sunsets on the beach are beautiful, starry skies are beautiful, this, this is overkill."

"Geez Anko, is the cynicism necessary?"

"Well actually….." When she had spun around to face him his appearance cut off her sarcastic jest. "Why are you wearing a mask?"

"Security blanket." He said it as if there was absolutely nothing weird about wearing a mask. "I don't wear it to parties naturally, but relaxing at home is a different story."

"You realize you're insane right?"

"I have money. That makes me eccentric."

"Oh great, I'm alone in an unfamiliar house with an eccentric stranger." Anko mumbled while rolling her eyes. "It's like a dream come true." "Hey!" she exclaimed as a forgotten train of thought pulled up to the station. "You never did tell me what it is you're hiding. It's got to be a hell of a piece if you're willing to keep tabs on little old me."

"Don't be so modest. You're quite the threat when you want to be."

"Flattery will get you no where."

Kakashi frowned, and then started to walk towards her. "How far will this get me?" With one swift motion, he had pulled down his mask and crushed his lips to hers.

Damn his lips. Anko was lost momentarily, her brain on autopilot as she unwilling kissed back. Admittedly, he was a pretty good kisser, but wait! There were much more important things to do right now. For instance stealing those twin diamond and ruby tennis bracelets she was supposed to have stolen a half hour ago. Sensing she was trying to disengage, Kakashi moved one hand to the back of her head, entwining his fingers with the roots of her violet hair, the arm around her waist hugged her closer.

"Mmph! Mmphmamee!" Translation: Hey! Kakashi! Talking around someone else's lips was more challenging then she originally thought. Thinking that she needed air, Kakashi freed her head from his hand. Finally being able to get oxygen to her brain, Anko realized that she was extremely angry.

"I'll tell you where a stunt like that'll get you! It'll get you a free foot up your ass!" After that angry little outburst, Anko swung her right fist directly at his face. Of course Kakashi dodged, but after being distracted by backing into the coffee table that he could've sworn wasn't there a minute ago, Anko managed to drive her knee into his stomach.

"Happy now?" Kakashi asked, doubled over from pain.

"No." Anko replied smartly. "I was aiming lower." She made another move towards him, but this time he swung his leg out in a futile attempt to trip her. "Not to bad." She complemented upon jumping over his leg. Her foot came in from the side, trying to kick his head, but he blocked, holding up an arm. After she retracted her leg, he stood up.

"Picking fights with strangers isn't very lady like."

"Randomly kissing strangers isn't very chivalrous."

"Touché."

She waited in her defensive position, but another attack never came. Instead, he just relaxed his posture and slipped back on his mask. A moment of awkward silence passed as he stared at her, and she stared nervously back.

"What!?" She finally asked. A sigh was the only sound indicating he heard her as he stepped toward her.

"You know Anko; we should really do this again sometime." She tried to step back but his hand grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her pressure point. The last thing her suddenly heavy eyes saw was the glittering chandeliers that hung on the ceiling. "Don't worry." He whispered in her ear, the sensation barely registering as she slipped into unconsciousness. "I'll make sure you get home."

Wait, he knew where her apartment was?

**Next time...**

Being the slightly modest person she was, Anko asked for a dressing room. "Oh don't be so shy." Sakura chided. "We've all seen you naked anyway." A look of pure horror painted Anko's face. Oblivious Sakura continued rambling on. "It's so weird; I feel like I already know you. I guess in makes sense considering Kakashi-sensei had Sasuke-kun tracking you all these years." Pausing for breath, Sakura finally noticed Anko's horrified expression. "Don't worry; I had them delete the stock footage so they couldn't watch it over again."

The next chapter will be uploaded Before friday. See ya then!

Reviews are loved, but feel free not to. No flames please, I'm extremely sensitive. Constructive criticisim is accepted with hugs.


	3. Welcome to the team darling

**A/N **This chapters a bit slow, I'll admit it, but it is necessary. Don't worry though, the action picks up agian in chapter 3, and chapter 4 is designated for fluffiness.

**Chapter 2**

If you can't remeber the prolouge, go back and read that before starting this chapter.

Present day,

Sunlight glinted through the curtains. The brightness was giving her a headache. Whatever it was that Kakashi injected her with was giving her a serious hangover.

"Good morning!" An overly cheery Kakashi busted in the room holding a tray with what she assumed was breakfast on it. He placed the tray over her legs and plopped down on the bed beside her. "How's the hangover?" Bastard, he did that on purpose. Still brooding over that childish remark, she decided to be the bigger person and ignore that comment.

"Thanks for the breakfast."

"Oh it's nothing. Just something I decided to whip up for the new house guest." Scrambled eggs, a cream cheese bagel, and bacon. There was no way he cooked this.

"You mean your chef whipped up." She corrected, hand going straight for the bacon.

"I can cook you know."

She snickered. "I'll have to see that to believe it." This time it was his turn to ignore the jeering comments.

"I would've dropped you off at your house, but after last time we met you decided to move."

"Couldn't have my favorite stalker knowing where I live." She replied, moving on to the bagel.

"So I'm your favorite?" he asked teasingly. She just glared at him, not wanting to spoil the fabulous cream cheese. He patted her leg, "There are some clothes in the closet, when you feel like it meet me downstairs. We have something important to discuss." She just nodded, still gorging on the bagel. When she heard the door click she hopped up out of bed. Did he just say clothes? Curious, she opened the closet door.

"He can't be serious!"

* * *

The only thing stopping Kakashi from busting out laughing was the death glare Anko was sending his way as she walked down the stairs. The sundress he left for her was white with a pastel yellow and green pattern; the matching high heels completed the ensemble. Dresses were evil, high heels were evil, and more importantly, Kakashi was evil.

"I'll have you know the only reason I'm wearing this is because you hid all my other clothes." (She had woken up in his pair of over sized pajamas.) He was still trying not to laugh. "Enjoying your self?" she asked, about ready to slap him.

"More then you know." He replied looking at her suggestively. She growled.

"What exactly do we have to 'discuss'?" His hand extended towards the direction of the living room.

"Patience love, you'll find out soon enough."

Hold on, did he seriously just call her love?

Upon entering the dinning room she saw three kids sitting at the end of the table. They were all probably about eighteen, so they weren't necessarily kids, but she was still older than them so she could call them what she wanted.

"Anko, meet, Uzamaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke, aka team seven. Team seven, meet Matarshi Anko." Anko just waved. This was all very confusing. About to ask what was going on she turned to face Kakashi, but just looked at him gaping like a fish when she noticed the reappearance of that ridiculous mask. How in the hell did he always manage to slip that thing on? It really didn't match with his jeans and t-shirt. Before she could make some sort of mean comment, he directed her to sit down in a chair that sat across the table from the newly introduced team seven. Everyone seemed to be sizing everyone up. Team seven was looking at Anko, who was looking at Kakashi, who was looking towards the kitchen wondering whether or not he should've served drinks. After another moment of silence, Anko coughed, trying to get Kakashi's attention.

"Right!" he exclaimed, snapping back to reality. "Let's get down to business. I've already briefed team seven on what exactly we're planning to do, so that makes you the only one out of the loop." Everybody turned to look at Anko, who was laughing nervously upon being stared at.

"Well then I guess I should be caught up to speed then eh?" Over the next twenty minutes Kakashi, with the occasional interjection from the team seven members, explained to Anko the purpose of team seven and where she fit in to everything.

Now to make my, the author's, life easier I'll be explaining everything to you instead of writing out two pages worth of dialogue. Yes I know that I'm lazy. I consider it a virtue. Moving on! Team seven consists of the three aforementioned kids. They were all orphaned when Kakashi found them, and being the super nice rich guy that he is in this fan fiction, he invited them to live with him. Over the course of many years he trained them to be experts in the field that they were most talented. Sasuke is the technical manager. He does all the super spy gear, messes with computers, all that jazz. Sakura is the team strategist. She's in charge of planning all the missions, and coming up with efficient solutions for whatever problems may occur. Naruto is the tactical specialist. He's in charge of weapons and what not, and he's called in to kick some ass! Only if the need to do so arises of course. He also works as an excellent decoy or distraction, whatever the field work requires. Now you're probably saying, well that's super duper and all, but what exactly do they do? Team seven was formed to oppose the group Akatsuki. Now Akatsuki consists of several members, (I'm pretty sure we all know who they are) who use their wealth and power for nefarious purposes! (You can use your imagination to come up with what those nefarious purposes actually are.) They obtain that money by buying and selling items off the black market. Art work, jewelry, artifacts, human organs, (ha-ha, just kidding about that last one) that kind of stuff. Kakashi plans on using Anko and team seven to steal back some of the items that the Akatsuki members are planning on selling. He knows this won't stop them completely, but he hopes it will at least set them back until a plan to take them down can be formulated. Let's see, I think that's about it. Back to the story!

"Any questions?" Kakashi asked, completing the discussion.

"I've got one." Sasuke said "You said you caught Anko trying to steal something of yours. What exactly did she try to steal?" Anko froze. In the haze of her hangover she had forgotten about the necklace. She turned to Kakashi, not sure whether he had told the team about it or not. His posture had stiffened, and he seemed a tad nervous. Nope, he hadn't told them.

"I was trying to steal his set of assorted crystal kunai." She replied flawlessly. Sasuke still eyed her and Kakashi suspiciously, but her answer seemed to appease him for now. Once Kakashi and Anko left the room Kakashi turned to her and gave her a questioning look.

"I don't believe I've ever told you about those crystal kunai."

She smiled deviously.

"You never had too."

* * *

Sitting in a room for five hours, bored and dejected, was not on Anko's top ten list of fun things to do on a Saturday, so when she heard a small knock on the door she rushed to answer it.

"Hey!" she started to say, but lost enthusiasm when she saw that it wasn't Kakashi.

"Expecting some one with grayer hair?" Sakura teased. A crestfallen Anko just laughed half heartedly. "Kakashi-sensei sent me up here to help you get some clothes." Sakura explained, grabbing Anko's wrist and dragging her to some unknown destination.

"Where are we going?" Anko asked, slightly annoyed at constantly being ushered around the house like a child.

"To my room!" Sakura replied cheerfully. "I've got more clothes then I know what to do with, and since you don't have any, Kakashi-sensei thought it would be a good idea if I gave some of mine to you." Thinking about all the possible hand-me-downs made Anko grimace. A respectable woman in her late twenties had no reason to wear clothes out of an eighteen year old girl's closet.

"Wouldn't it be better if I just went out and bought my own clothes?" Anko suggested.

"That's what I said!' Sakura exclaimed with a hint of exasperation. "But noooo, Kakashi-sensei said I have enough clothes to spare some." She turned around and winked at Anko "Just between us girls, I think he really wants to see you in something young and hip. He's a closet pervert you know."

"That explains a lot." Anko said thoughtfully as she reminisced about some of her more blush inducing encounters with Kakashi.

"Here we are!" Sakura declared after leading Anko through her room and up to a huge set of double doors. Throwing the doors open with one grand motion, Sakura revealed her closet, leaving Anko speechless. It was huge! It was bigger then Anko's apartment and her neighbor's apartment combined. Allowing her to continue staring in awe, Sakura led Anko through the closet into one of the far corners.

"This is where I keep all my casual wear. These outfits should suit you just fine." Sakura gave Anko an encouraging smile. Poor Anko was still gaping at the size of the 'closet'. "I like to shop." Sakura admitted. Anko looked at her with one raised eyebrow. "Ok I like to shop a lot." Sakura grabbed an outfit off a nearby rack and thrust it towards Anko. "Try this one on." Being the slightly modest person she was, Anko asked for a dressing room. "Oh don't be so shy." Sakura chided. "We've all seen you naked anyway." A look of pure horror painted Anko's face. Oblivious Sakura continued rambling on. "It's so weird; I feel like I already know you. I guess in makes sense considering Kakashi-sensei had Sasuke-kun tracking you all these years." Pausing for breath, Sakura finally noticed Anko's horrified expression. "Oh don't worry; I had them delete the stock footage so they couldn't watch it over again." That was not helping.

"Ss….saw me….." Anko was struggling to form the word.

"Heh, well see what happened was, the boys put Naruto in charge of setting up the cameras in you're apartment. Being the complete retard that he is, he put cameras in the bathroom, so we all saw you take a shower." Anko was feeling oddly faint all of a sudden. Afraid of any possible backlash, Sakura put up her hands defensively. "I had nothing to do with it I swear. In fact I was the one who made them take the camera's down." Still not helping. Deciding to gather up and save what was left of her pride, Anko immediately dove into denial and stripped down and tried on the outfit.

"What do you think?" She asked, changing the subject.

"It's perfect!" Sakura gushed. Following Anko's lead, she grabbed another outfit off the rack. "Try on this next!"

* * *

A couple of hours, and a complete wardrobe later, Anko lay sprawled across her bed, exhausted. Another knock on the door broke the silence. After the disastrous moment in Sakura's closet, Anko wasn't quite sure she was ready to face any other members of the house. Reluctantly, she turned the knob and peered out from behind the door. It was Kakashi. The _last _person she wanted to see right now. Choking down the growl that had worked its way into her throat she welcomed him with false cheer.

"Hey Kakashi! What brings you here?"

"Oh I was just checking up on you. I was a little worried about Sakura showing you her closet and all. I remember the first time I saw it."

"No need to worry. I had fun, and Sakura's a great kid."

"Oh." Kakashi said, relieved. "Well I'll just be going then."

"Hold it right there mister." Anko warned, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him into the room. "I've got a few questions for you." Kakashi could sense the evil aura that Anko was emitting, but before he could find some excuse to leave, she pulled him in the room and shut the door. This was soooo not good.

* * *

Currently, Kakashi sat cross legged across from Anko, who also sat cross legged, on her bed. Secretly, Anko was enjoying making him nervous, but she did have some very serious questions to ask before she confronted him about the cameras.

"You know where I live," There was no room for argument, it was a fact. After that little conversation with Sakura she realized that he had kept tabs on her even when she had moved. "And you're not going to let me leave," This was a fact too. Once she saw the sundress in the closet she had tried to escape, but the maids and butlers tackled her and dragged her back to her room. "So why don't you just let me get my stuff?"

"Simple, you'll make a run for it as soon as you get outside." Well, she wasn't really itching to escape, but he had a point.

"Kakashi," She said with an annoyed tone, "I've got no reason to leave. This house is nicer than my apartment, and I'll still be able to do what I always have, you know stealing and what not. It's just that I want my old clothes back."

"Trust me, you don't want those clothes back."

Her eyebrow twitched.

"I'll settle for my trench coat and fish net shirts."

He smiled deviously.

"If you forget the clothes I'll have Naruto retrieve that armchair you're so attached to." Ah, the black leather armchair. That chair was the comfiest damn thing Anko had ever sat in. When she wasn't standing, she was sitting in that chair, hell she would live in that chair if she could. The temptation was too much.

"Fine!" she surrendered. "You can do whatever you want with my wardrobe if I get my chair." Kakashi smiled triumphantly. "Next question." The smile disappeared. "What are you going to do about my apartment?"

"I already talked to the land lady." Shock spread across Anko's face. Exactly how long was she asleep? "All your stuff's in storage."

"And why can't I have it back?"

"I don't want your cheap mismatched furniture in my house." Maybe running away wasn't so bad after all. Deciding not to retort and risk losing her beloved chair, Anko decided to ask a more serious question next.

"What's the deal with you owning that necklace?" The immediate straightening of his back and the deepening of the crease between his eyebrows told Anko that this was one of those questions he was hoping to avoid.

"I'm allowed to posses whatever I want." He replied coldly.

"The stories about that necklace have been circulating since…"

"Don't say it." He warned, starting to get angry. Taking the hint, she didn't continue her statement.

"I'm just looking out for you."

"That stupid necklace isn't cursed." He growled. "At least not for me." That statement brought on a whole other round of questions, but Anko choked them down for his sake. Kakashi sighed, making a move to get off the bed, but Anko stopped him.

"There was one other thing." She said, crawling slowly on her hands towards him. After insulting her wardrobe and her furniture, Anko felt the itching urge for revenge. "I had the most interesting conversation with Sakura today." She crept closer and closer until she was practically on top of him, forcing him to place his hands behind him on her pillows in order to avoid the repercussions of that evil smirk. One of her hands trailed lightly up his chest stopping at his face to play with the edges of his mask. "She mentioned something about seeing me in the shower, naked." Evil smirk firmly in place, Anko leaned her head forward until her face was just inches away from Kakashi's. He gulped nervously. "Did you like what you saw?" she asked, their lips brushing slightly. Just when Kakashi started to lean forward in an attempt to kiss her, Anko jumped back. "Well I sure as hell hope you did!" She shouted, mood changing instantly. Grabbing his shirt collar she chucked him off the bed, causing him to slam onto the floor. "Cause that's the last time you'll ever see that again!"

"Nonsense!" Kakashi said smiling as he backed up towards the door. "Sakura hasn't found the DVD's yet." A black high heel came flying in his direction but he avoided it by ducking behind the door. "Get some sleep!" he called, running for the safety of the stairwell down the hall. "You've got your first job tomorrow!"

Job? What job?

**Next time...**

"Let go of me!" Anko shouted angrily. "Miss, please cooperate." The security guard growled, finally tired of trying to placate the struggling woman. Two burly men in black suits dragged Anko by the arms down some unknown corridor. "Where the hell are you taking me?" "To a room in the south wing of Mr. Deidara's mansion." "What are you going to do with me!?" "Calm down Miss. We just need to verify your invitation, and then you can leave." "Humph." The guard just rolled his eyes. After letting herself be dragged a little ways more, Anko decided it was high time to cooperate. "All right, I'll give in."

**Chapter 3 will be out before next Thursday. **See ya then!


	4. The frenchman and the bird

**A/N** Allrighty, I didn't wanna push the deadline, so this chapter isn't as fantastic as it could've been, but I guess it's ok. Hope you like it!

**Chapter 3**

"I'm nearing first marker." Anko whispered to no one in particular. On the receiving end of her little comment, Sakura swiveled around in her chair.

"Great, I can see you're GPS icon on the screen." Walking up to the door, Anko handed a fabricated invitation to the guard.

"Enjoy the party Miss. Kagesaki." (Shout out to the author of Chibi Vampire!) A sharp nod was her only reply. As she stepped into the party, she was feeling slightly underdressed. Kakashi had allowed her to dress in her usual outfit for these sorts of things (a black halter top dress that reached to just above her knees, black peep toe high heels, with her hair pulled up high and tight) but she was beginning to think that she should have accepted his offer to purchase a more elegant gown. It was just as well, long draping and ruffles would get in her way.

"Target spotted." She whispered in the same manner as before.

"The distraction is on its way." Came the soft reply in her earpiece. Anko watched as Kakashi made his way over to the 'target.' By discreetly sneaking within earshot of their conversation, she began to eavesdrop.

"Bonjour Deidara" (Yes that's right, I made Deidara French. Why? My French teacher says I should practice more. Secretly, I just use Google translator. Muwahahahaha!)

"Bonjour Kakashi! Comment allez-vous?"

"Bien, et vous?"

Deidara chuckled politely.

"Your French has improved."

"Merci beaucoup."

"Anko, the point of the distraction was so that you don't get noticed. My suggestion, you stop gawking at Kakashi-sensei and focus on the job." Right, back to reality. It was hard to believe Kakashi spoke French, even if it was just a little, it was still…..oh she would find the right word later. Sakura was right. There was a chance Deidara knew who she was, since he possessed a lot of rare, unheard of black market items, but since she was wearing the brown wig she borrowed from Sakura, and Kakashi was busy being a distraction, she figured she'd skate by unnoticed. Either way, it was the time to put the plan into action. Well, technically it was time to wait around until someone else put the plan into action. A glass of champagne later and Anko got what she was waiting for.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Kagesaki?"

"Why yes," she replied with a false sweetness, "Why do you ask?"

"Follow me please." She got up off the bar stool and followed the man into a hallway. Once they were away from the crowd, the man's demeanor changed instantly.

"Sneaking into parties in very unbecoming of young ladies such as yourself."

"I don't know what you're talking about." He grabbed her upper arm and shoved her a bit. "Don't play dumb with me. We know you faked that invitation." Her eyes widened perfectly with innocence, looking ever so slightly appalled. The man wasn't buying it. He tossed her to the two security guards that had showed up. "Take care of her."

* * *

"How are we doing?" Naruto asked, head inclined towards his teammates.

"Everything is running smoothly." Sakura replied coolly. "Anko might even be arriving at the second marker ahead of schedule."

"Good." Sasuke nodded. "We've got a very limited window this time."

"What about Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sakura snickered.

"He's suffering a bit, but he's managed to put up with Deidara for this long." Typing rapidly at her keyboard, Sakura began to get excited. "Marker two is within reach." She turned on the headset. "Anko, you're good to go."

* * *

"Let go of me!" Anko shouted angrily.

"Miss, please cooperate." The security guard growled, finally tired of trying to placate the struggling woman. Two burly men in black suits dragged Anko by the arms down some unknown corridor.

"Where the hell are you taking me?"

"To a room in the south wing of Mr. Deidara's mansion."

"What are you going to do with me!?"

"Calm down Miss. We just need to verify your invitation, and then you can leave."

"Humph."

The guard just rolled his eyes. After letting herself be dragged a little ways more, Anko decided it was high time to cooperate.

"All right, I'll give in." The guards stopped in the hallway and looked at her in confusion. They dropped their grip, feeling the surrender in the way her arms went limp. Wearing her favorite crafty smile, Anko ripped the small blue pearl like charm off her bracelet and hurled it to the floor. It erupted into a huge cloud of smoke, completely shocking the seemingly innocuous guards. They began coughing fitfully, immobilized by the ingenuous smoke bomb. Once Anko was a good distance away, she stopped running to catch her breath.

"Hey Sakura, tell Sasuke that smoke bomb idea was awesome!" she could hear Sakura laugh in satisfaction through her earpiece.

"Nice work." Sakura commended. "The guards are still nailed down by the surprise of your attack. You've got a good five minutes to reach the final marker." Fighting the urge to chortle manically, Anko pressed onward. Five minutes was more than enough time for an experienced thief like her.

* * *

Kakashi laughed appropriately, not at all finding the joke funny.

"Well it was wonderful talking to you again," Deidara said as he looked around the room, searching for his next victim. Crap! Kakashi needed to hold his attention for another five minutes. Dreading the reply, but willing to sacrifice some sanity for the sake of the mission, Kakashi asked the one question he knew Deidara couldn't resist.

"Before you go, I'd just like to know your views on Quebec. Do you agree with their persistent insistence to gain independence from Canada?" In an instant, Deidara's attention was back on Kakashi.

"Quebec has been suppressed by Canada for years! They should be granted freedom! Let them have their own identity!"

Heaving an unobserved sigh, Kakashi prepared him self. This was gonna be one hell of a rant.

* * *

"Sasuke has already disabled the security mechanism. You're good to go Anko."

"Thanks guys." She opened the door and walked casually inside. This was great, no beams to dodge, no cameras to avoid, no alarms that might be tripped; she just walked up to the glass case and opened it. She should have thought about getting a team a _long_ time ago. Taking out the small clay sculpture, she examined it carefully.

"This crappy little bird is worth over a million?"

"It was made by some crazy artist guy who died."

Anko snorted; she never understood the wealthy.

"60 seconds." Sakura warned. "If you don't get out of there soon we're all screwed."

Quickly, Anko slipped off the small bag that had been secured to her inner thigh. After gently sliding the sculpture in the sack and securing it around her wrist, she bolted out the door and down the hallway. Sasuke had managed to hack into Deidara's security system, but he could only cover his tracks for about ten minutes. When those ten minutes were up, Sasuke needed to switch the camera's off the loop he had set, and return the security systems to armed before they traced the signal back to the van parked two blocks away.

"Turn left." Anko did as she was instructed, leading her to a long hallway with a door at the end. "Twenty seconds."

"This is so cliché." Anko whined as she sprinted madly for the door. With a rather ungraceful motion, she swung the door open and lept out side.

"Five seconds to spare. Not the best, but not bad. You did well Anko."

"Gee, thanks. How's Kakashi doing?"

"He's still chatting with Deidara. You should here their conversation, I feel sorry for sensei. I'll put him out of his misery and tell him the job's done."

"Hold that thought for just a few more minutes Sakura." Anko smirked. "Why don't we let them chat for a little while longer?"

* * *

"Do you see how the Canadian government is suppressing them?"

"Yes, I see your point" Kakashi had seen his point about seven minutes ago. Where the hell was Anko? He was supposed to receive conformation that the mission had gone smoothly a long ass time ago. Starting to get worried, he glanced around the room for a quick second. All the security guards had left abruptly a few minutes ago. Had she been captured? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.

"Are you listening?" Deidara asked in annoyance.

"Of course!" Kakashi exclaimed defensively. A man clad in a black suit interrupted politely.

"Mr.Deidara, there's been a problem."

Deidara looked concerned.

"Excuse me Kakashi; it seems I have some business to attend to."

Kakashi nodded and watched the two walk towards some undisclosed location. Once they were a good distance away, Kakashi spun around and made a beeline for the exit. He needed the get the hell out of here, fast.

"Sakura, what's the mission status." Kakashi asked a slight edge to his voice. He heard a quiet riot on the other end of the head piece. "Sakura, mission status." He asked again, getting angry. Finally the black van came into sight. He picked up the pace.

* * *

"Anko!" Sakura hissed. "What do I tell him?" Anko just bit her lip. She hadn't thought it out that far. The intention was just to torture him, not make him angry. Although in retrospect, she should have seen this coming. "Anko!"

"I'm not sure!" Suddenly the van doors flew open.

"Anko!" Seesh, she was getting tired of hearing her name. Kakashi lept into the back of the van where she was sitting and crushed in her a hug. Well this was unexpected. "I thought they caught you!" He sighed, obviously relieved.

"Have a little faith will ya!" The statement would have sounded a lot angrier if she could breathe. The good mood was dropped instantly when Kakashi spun around to face Sakura and Sasuke. (For further notice, the layout of the van is as follows: There are some cushiony seats in the back where Anko and Kakashi are currently seated, then there's two swivel chairs bolted to the floor where Sasuke and Sakura sit. They're surrounded by computer gear, of course, and are wearing headsets. Naruto is in the driver's seat, separated by a plexi glass shield, kind of like the ones in limo's. Just picture the type of van used by the FBI in those crime movies. )

"What the hell?" He asked, obviously aggravated.

"Eh heh," Sakura laughed nervously, "You see, we lost the connection for a couple minutes, so we couldn't let you know that we completed the mission."

"Bullshit." Damn, he could tell she was lying. "You guys have never lost a feed, no matter what the conditions." In a last ditch effort to save their asses, Sasuke decided to point out something that would hopefully divert Kakashi's attention.

"Before you start yelling, you might want to stop suffocating Anko." Embarrassed and, thank heaven, distracted, Kakashi let go of Anko and started rubbing the back of his neck timidly.

"So the mission was a success?"

Score! Sasuke got him to change the subject. Now that she was released from Kakashi's death grip, Anko could hand him the bag.

"One ugly ass black market sculpture, just for you."

Kakashi inspected the palm sized sculpture and smiled.

"Good job everyone." He put the clay bird back in the bag. "You make a nice addition to the team" he added just for Anko. A slight blush painted her cheeks at his sudden praise.

"Hey, are we going to get out of here any time soon?" Naruto shouted from the driver's seat. "I don't think I can handle another Kodak moment." The pair sitting in the back of the van glared in his direction.

"Get us out of here." Sasuke replied for Kakashi. With that, Naruto punched the gas, and speed off towards Hatake Mansion.

* * *

"Well today was eventful." Anko murmured. She was in her bed now, buried under ten pounds of comforter and sheets. The pajamas Sakura gave her were a little more skimpy than she was used to, and since Kakashi reclaimed the set he let her borrow yesterday morning, Anko was forced to bury herself under linens in order not to freeze. A faint knock on the door kept her from falling to the coma known as REM sleep.

"What do you want?!" The question came out as more of a strangled hiss than a shout. Kakashi cautiously peeked around the door.

"Mind if I come in."

"Yeeeesss." That one was meant to be a hiss. Ignoring her completely, Kakashi walked in and sat down on the bed near what he assumed to be her feet. It was hard to tell with all the blankets.

"Just thought I'd let you know that Sasuke erased any evidence that you were at the party."

"Mmmph."

That sounded like a positive response so Kakashi continued.

"I know you usually don't care if the people you steal from get you on tape, but since we're dealing with the Akatsuki, it's probably best for all of us if they can't figure out who you are." Anko frowned. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate anonymity, if she didn't she would have been arrested by now; it was just that her constant change of appearance and address usually covered her tracks. Besides, she didn't like the idea of making those kids work any harder than they already had too.

"The wigs are enough. You don't need to work Sasuke to death." She replied smartly.

"Putting a camera on loop is hardly work for someone with his talent." Anko opened her mouth to say something along the lines of 'That's probably what the owners of sweat shops say' when Kakashi surprised her.

"I'm just worried about you." Concerned for her well being? It was kind of sweet, but unnecessary.

"You shouldn't be." She grumbled. "I can take care of myself."

Kakashi chuckled bitterly,

"You're too damn stubborn." Looking down at her sleeping form, his tone softened a bit. "Everyone needs to have someone worrying about them. It helps people feel cared about." Anko's foot twitched and she grunted. Kakashi gently hopped off the bed and tiptoed towards the door.

"Night Anko." A rather loud snore was his only reply. He sighed, turning to look at her once more. "Here I let my guard down for one second and you fall asleep. Am I honestly that boring when I'm being sincere?"

"Yep." Anko said with a yawn before rolling over on her opposite side. To save himself any further embarrassment Kakashi slipped out the door, shutting it quietly. He could be so cute when he was embarrassed.

* * *

**A/N** well there ya go. I haven't said it very much, so I'd like to take this opportunity to...

**Thank the reviewers! I love you guys and gals!**

moving on, **chapter 4 will be out before next Saturday.**

**Next Time...**

"A-ha!" she shouted, raising the Oreo's above her head in an accomplished manner. Lucky for her the kitchen had high ceilings so she didn't crush her snack in the process. In the middle of her victory celebration, the cotton fabric of her sock slipped on the marble counter top, causing Anko to lose her footing and begin falling backwards. Arms flailing, she came down in a fuss, dropping the Oreo's in the process. Thud! "Are you ok!?" Kakashi asked, running into the kitchen when he heard the commotion. "Fine." Anko said through her teeth. "The Oreo's broke my fall." She sullenly removed the crushed cookie container from beneath her bum. Kakashi began guffawing loudly until a box of Oreo's smacked his face.


	5. Never a dull moment

**

* * *

**

A/N-

My sense of humor flared up when I was writing this, so It's a bit...crazy sometimes. Figuring out what to steal from the Akatsuki members was really fun. Each item is related to the owner in some sort of way. I really hope you guys and gals like this one. (I'm not so great with the fulff, so I hope it's ok.)

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! You peoples are so nice. **

**Chapter 4**

We're time skippin forward into the future. WOOOOO! (Remember when I said chapter four was dedicated to fluff? I wasn't lying.)

It had been several long and busy months for Anko since her first mission, job, whatever you wanna call it, with Kakashi and Team Seven. In that time period they'd managed to get quite a bit done. Stealing the clay bird from Deidara was only the beginning. They took the Chinese Marinette from Sasori, The Samehada from Kisame, rare paper made of lotus blossoms from Konan, ancient doubloons from Kakuzu, the six Rinnegan masks from Pain, the Jashin scythe from Hidan, the Zen bonsai tree from Zetsu, and a jade ring from Tobi. Damn that's a lot! Because of their success, Kakashi declared that a short vacation was in order. Naruto had decided to spend his time with Hinata in the Hyuuga complex, and Sasuke and Sakura flew off to Cancun. Still under house arrest Anko, was stuck in the mansion, but Kakashi decided to stick around as well and keep her company. And that's where we pick up the story! On the fourth day of their week long vacation.

* * *

The voracious growling coming from Anko's stomach told her that she was hungry, very hungry, so she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her raid through the refrigerator was fruitless, and she was getting the same results from the raid through the cabinets, until, she saw it. There, on the top self of the third cabinet to the left was a glorious box of Oreo's. Who doesn't love Oreo's? They would make a nice snack to tide her over until she could find some proper lunch. Ah damn, the top self. There was no way in hell short little Anko would be able to reach that self. Stubborn as ever, Anko wasn't about to let that stop her. Using her skills developed by many years of theft, she hoisted herself up onto the counter top and stood up to reach the cookies.

"A-ha!" she shouted, raising the Oreo's above her head in an accomplished manner. Lucky for her the kitchen had high ceilings so she didn't crush her snack in the process. In the middle of her victory celebration, the cotton fabric of her sock slipped on the marble counter top, causing Anko to lose her footing and begin falling backwards. Arms flailing, she came down in a fuss, dropping the Oreo's in the process. **Thud!**

"Are you ok!?" Kakashi asked, running into the kitchen when he heard the commotion.

"Fine." Anko said through her teeth. "The Oreo's broke my fall." She sullenly removed the crushed cookie container from beneath her bum. Kakashi began guffawing loudly until a box of Oreo's smacked his face.

"What were you doing?" he asked, still giggly from before.

"I was looking for lunch." She mumbled, slightly embarrassed, and extremely pissed. Kakashi smirked.

"You could've just asked. I can cook pretty well." Skeptical, Anko hesitated on her reply. "Still don't believe me." He frowned. "What do you want? It can be anything, just name it." Tapping her index finger on her lip, Anko pondered for a moment.

"Dango." she shouted when the light bulb went off in her head.

"Sounds good." Kakashi replied, commending her choice.

"Great! I'll be around, just shout when it's done."

"Hold it right there."Grabbing her shoulder Kakashi pulled her back into the kitchen. "It's your lunch, so you're going to help me cook it."

"But I can't cook!" Anko protested. It was an honest reply; she was the type of person who could burn toast.

"That's why I'm here." He replied with a wide grin. Anko decided to just surrender. Cooking with Kakashi couldn't be all bad. Could it?

"Ok. I guess I've got nothing else to do today." With a curt nod, Kakashi acknowledged her answer.

"I suppose you'd want to make them with red bean paste."

She smirked.

"Don't forget the syrup."

* * *

They had been cooking for sometime now, and had gotten quite a bit of their makeshift meal done. Thankfully it hadn't been the disaster Anko imagined, but she was having a little trouble molding the bean paste to the desired shape.

"Is that supposed to be a sphere?" Kakashi asked a hint of humor evident in his words. It was slightly startling to hear his voice seeing as he hadn't said much since they started cooking, save the occasional instruction.

"It's got personality." She retorted, holding up the egg shaped ball. A snicker could be heard from beside her.

"You think you can do any better?" She challenged. He held up a flawless orb, laughing when Anko started to pout. That was the last time she would question his bean paste molding skills.

"Do you need a hand?" He asked, half joking, half sincere. Instead of answering with her usual sarcastic remark, she threw her deformed egg at him. It landed smack dab on his forehead. "What is it with you and throwing things?" He asked in annoyance as he wiped the paste off his face. Anko was too busy laughing to reply, that was until a ball hit her on the cheek.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" she asked with a dangerous expression. Kakashi just picked up another palm full of paste and threw it at her. This time she dodged, allowing the paste to hit the wall behind her.

"Does that answer your question?"

An all out bean paste war soon erupted. The entire kitchen was stained red as the two of them ducked and dodged each others attacks. A loud growl from Anko's stomach eventually ended the fight.

"I'm soooo hungry." Anko whined. Kakashi handed her the plate of finished dango. Luckily they had managed to complete a few sticks before wasting the rest of the mix. She sat down on the counter top, picking up and examining one of the sticks, Kakashi following suit. They ate together in silence, trying to calm their racing pulses.

"Thanks for lunch." Anko said, jumping off the countertop when she had finished.

"No problem." Kakashi replied, brushing off some of the paste he'd missed on his arm. "I think I'm gonna head to the shower." He said with his crinkly eyed smile.

"I should do that too." Anko agreed, a bit unfocused as she examined her hair for any trace of their lunch. When Kakashi just stood there smirking at her, she looked up at him questioningly. His smile got bigger, earning him a smack on the back of his head. "Pervert." Anko mumbled as she headed for the stairs.

* * *

Heaving a heavy, relaxing sigh, Anko plopped down onto her bed. Hot showers could do wonders. After a few more minutes she realized that she was _extremely_ bored. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were out on vacation, and since Kakashi still refused to let her out of the complex, (After a week he agreed to let her wander around outside by the gardens and such.) she had relatively nothing to do. Deciding that wandering aimlessly was better than moping on the bed, she began heading towards the upstairs library.

* * *

Anko's loud plodding announced her presence before she even opened the door. When she did, Kakashi greeted her with the usual plastered on smile.

"What brings you to the library?" he asked with cheerful curiosity.

"I was dying from boredom." Not much point in lying. With an artless motion, Anko flopped onto the couch next to him. The unusual cover art of the book he was reading caught her attention.

"What's that you're reading?" Not bothering to verbalize his answer, Kakashi just shifted the book to show her the title. This earned him another slap on the back of his head. "You really are a pervert!" She crossed her arms and leaned into the back of the couch, pouting. It really shouldn't have been a surprise to her after all the time she'd spent with him. Unsure as to whether or not she was simply mistaken, she peered around his shoulder to read the page he was on. Her entire face and neck were flushed instantly. Yep, it was _exactly_ what she suspected. Seeing her look at his book and then turn away blushing made Kakashi chuckle

Looking everywhere but at the pervert and his dirty little book, Anko scanned the selves of the small library for something interesting to read. Nothing really caught her eye, that is until she noticed an entire shelf dedicated to books that had orange circles with slashes on them. Her mouth fell open, completely mortified. So maybe the library was a bad idea. Oh well, to the garden! She tried to leave the room as fast as possible without making it obvious. The effort was in vain of course, Kakashi noticed immediately.

* * *

Thank goodness she had made it out of that library alive! It was horrible! All those dirty books! Sadly, the sudden relief she felt was short lived, because soon after she left the library, Kakashi was walking right along side her.

"Yo! Wutcha up to now?" The horrified expression on her face amused him. She looked back at the library, then at him, unable to comprehend how it was he got there. Originally his plan was just to say hi, freak her out, and leave, but seeing her reaction was just too priceless. Now he was invested in his atypical brand of torture. Besides, with the kids on vacation he had nothing else to entertain himself with.

"I was just going to get some sun in the garden." She said, covering her emotions quite nicely now that the initial shock was gone.

"What a coincidence! I was just thinking the same thing! Mind if I join you?"

She had opened her mouth to object, but Kakashi beat her to the punch.

"Great! Let's go!" He picked up the pace, leaving Anko to trudge angrily behind him.

* * *

When Kakashi mentioned going to the garden together, Anko made it her mission to escape to her room when he wasn't looking. Unfortunately, Kakashi noticed her little desertion attempts, and hooked his arm tightly around hers, dragging her unwillingly the rest of the way. "Why don't you want to hang out?" Kakashi asked, sounding hurt. 'Because I just embarrassed my self in the library, and your perverted-ness is creeping me out.' Didn't seem like the right way to answer, so Anko decided to try something a little more subtle.

"Dude, you're creepy." Yeah, _real_ subtle. With a sigh Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Anko, I read those books for the compelling plotlines and exceptional dialogue."

She wasn't buying it. "Ok, so I read them for smut, but I swear, I'm a total gentleman Anko. You should have figured that out by now."

"Well I don't know about total…."

"Anko!"

"All right, all right! I wasn't worried that you were gonna try anything, it was just…..awkward." That answer seemed to satisfy him, and they walked in a comfortable silence the rest of the way.

* * *

Every time Anko walked out here she couldn't help but be amazed. The spring flowers were gorgeous, and the way they were landscaped was beyond exceptional. Instantly, all thoughts of embarrassment, boredom, and awkward moments were gone, replaced with adoration for the sun, and the beauty of the outdoors. Not ditching Kakashi was a good choice.

"Let's walk over to the fountain." Kakashi extended his hand toward her, he had let go of her arm when they reached the garden, a hand which she eagerly accepted, letting him lead her to the most charming spot in the whole complex.

The fountain was carved entirely out of marble, and was placed at the center of the back half of the garden. It was surrounded by roses and ivy. A small white wooden bench sat overlooking both the fountain, and the rest of the garden. Leading her to the bench, Kakashi sat down, motioning for Anko to sit beside him, which she did of course.

"You know what?" Anko asked thoughtfully after a moment.

"What?"

"I like you Kakashi. You're really not that bad."

"Even with the perverted-ness and all?" Anko laughed,

"Yeah, even with the perverted-ness."

Kakashi turned to her a smiled with his eyes closed.

"You're not all that bad either Anko." She smiled at his response.

"Thanks." It was nice to see a positive reaction from her little confession, and for whatever reason it was nicer to hear Kakashi confess as well. Unbeknownst to poor little Anko, her sudden admiration for him was about to end, but don't worry it would be back soon.

"There's a surprise waiting for you in the fountain." Kakashi whispered unexpectedly into her ear. The shiver that ran through her body at the feeling of his warm breath on her skin was ignored, overshadowed entirely by her sudden curiosity. She leapt off the bench and scurried over to the fountain. Peering over the rim, she searched the water for any inkling of her 'surprise'.

"I don't see anything." She complained, leaning farther forward.

"Surprise!" Kakashi shouted, pushing her into the fountain. Anko screamed as she fell into the cold water.

"You son-of-a-bitch! I take back everything I just said!"

Kakashi put his feet on the rim of the fountain, arms resting lazily on his bent legs.

"It's spring! The perfect time for a dip!"

Anko smirked evilly.

"If you say so." She grabbed Kakashi's shirt and pulled him into the fountain with her. He sputtered from the jolt of the freezing water.

"I take it back too!" he exclaimed. Anko began to crack up hysterically.

"You said it yourself; spring, the perfect time for a dip!"

"There's never a dull moment with you huh?" Kakashi commented, not being able to hold back his own laughter. Anko smiled and splashed some water at him. What a cute moment eh? A pervert and a thief drenched in a fountain, laughing. Hehehe, well I think it's cute.

* * *

The wet clothes were sticking to our two main characters quite tightly, causing both of them to blush bright red. Anko was blushing at Kakashi's recently revealed musculature (because we all know Kakashi has the nicest abs ever), and Kakashi was blushing at all of Anko's accentuated curves. Good thing the light in the house was dim. They had stayed outside to watch the sunset together, but decided to head in early so as not to catch a cold or some other virus.

"Well that was fun." Anko said when they reached her door. A nod of agreement was all Anko received for a response. "Well, Good night." She muttered, a little put out at his sudden relapse into silence. As she turned her back to him, trying to open the door, the feeling of Kakashi's breath by her ear made her freeze.

"Bien dormir." He whispered huskily. Sexy, yes, that was the word she was looking for last time, damn sexy. With that he left, heading to his own room. Anko just stood by the door, hand still frozen on the handle. Shaking her head sharply, she woke from her stupor and stumbled into her room. Once the door was closed, she leaned her back heavily against it. That familiar shiver brought on by his presence played over and over in her mind. She liked him all right; she liked him a _whole_ lot. At the thought of this Anko smacked herself, literally. He was a friend, her employer if you wanted to get technical, so any such feelings were simply unacceptable. At least that's what her and Kakashi kept telling themselves.

That night, as both of them drifted off to sleep, they began to dream. Sadly these dreams were not like the quaint afternoon they'd spent together. No, these nightmares were haunting reminders of the past, and they would not soon be forgotten.

**A/N- **So that was chapter 4, yeppers. Now its come to my attention that I've been very mean and haven't given you guys the translations for the French parts. smacks herself sorry bout that. Here's how the conversation between Deidara and Kakashi in chapter 3 would've read if it was in English:

_"Hello Deidara" _

_"Kakashi, Hello! How are you? "_

_" Well. How are you? "_

_Deidara chuckled politely. _

_"Your French has improved." _

_"Thank you very much. "Kakashi chuckled in reply_

yeppers! In this chapter, Bein dormir means sleep well. Hope that clears a few things up.

**Chapter 5 will be out before next Saturday. **(It'll be a little more angsty than the previous chapters)

**Next Time...**

Through the oncoming haze, Anko watched Orochimaru turn his back to her. "Goodbye Anko. It's a shame you weren't worth the effort."

xxxx

Anko shot up immediately. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and she was saturated with sweat. She leaned on her legs, hand clasping her forehead. "Dammit." She cursed breathlessly. There was no way she was getting any more sleep after having that dream.

**See ya then! **


	6. If I could dream of you

**A/N- **Howdy y'all! What's craka-lacken? Ha-ha, I'm totally kidding. So here's chapter 5. It's not too angsty, but there is some slight nostalgia. You have been warned! Hehehe. I keep forgetting to do this, but I need a **Disclaimer** that says I do not own Naruto, cause I don't. Well now that that's outta the way,

**Thank you for the reviews! **I love y'all dearly for reviewing.

**Chapter 5**

_Anko's dream_

"_What do you mean I can't stay here anymore?" Anko asked, her voice cracking, _

"_You need to leave." The dark voice replied. "I thought the meaning was obvious, but clearly I overestimated you again." Pain shot through Anko's leg, causing her to double over. "Tch. I can't believe you failed such a simple mission. You even managed to get stabbed. Absolutely pathetic." _

"_But Orochimaru-sama…" _

_He kicked her injured leg, causing her to scream. _

"_I don't want to hear your excuses. Kabuto, remove her from my sight immediately." Tears started to stream down Anko's face. Whether they were from the pain of her leg, or the pain of rejection, she didn't know. "Look at you, crying. Humph, so weak. You've failed me for the last time Anko. Hold on to your life for as long as you can, because if I ever see you again, I will kill you." Kabuto began to walk towards her, causing her to shirk back. He caught her shoulder, and injected her with some unfamiliar substance. _**A/N- **poor Anko, I really need to quite giving her injections. _Through the oncoming haze, Anko watched Orochimaru turn his back to her. "Goodbye Anko. It's a shame you weren't worth the effort."_

Anko shot up immediately. Her breathing was heavy and labored, and she was saturated with sweat. She leaned on her legs, hand clasping her forehead. "Dammit." She cursed breathlessly. There was no way she was getting any more sleep after having _that _dream. Putting on some slippers, she shuffled out of the room and headed for the library.

_Kakashi's dream_

_The sky was weeping today, colored such a deep gray it was almost black. Kakashi remembered this sky. The ground beneath his feet was unfamiliar, yet he knew it so well. It was almost as if he'd been here before. Looking around, he tried to asses where exactly he was. The headstones and sparse vegetation told him that he was in a cemetery. Odd, he never really visited cemeteries, and there were very few occasions where he attended a funeral, in fact he avoided them at all cost. Turning his head to the left he noticed a funeral being held. Normally he would have walked away, uncaring as always, but a silver mop of hair caught his eye. This mop of hair was oddly familiar. He walked closer to the funeral, walking up right behind the boy who owned the peculiar hair. Funny, no one bothered to look up at him; no one seemed to notice he was even there. Kakashi looked down and studied the little boy in front of him. Wait, what the...? This boy was him! What the hell kind of dream was this? Studying the boy further, he came to the conclusion that this boy was indeed the younger version of himself. Neat, it's not everyday you get to see the back of your own head. _(Shout out to Doctor Who!)_ The original high of discovering this unique dream world wore off when he realized what his younger self was holding. The boy was clutching tightly onto a necklace. The silver chain was inlaid with thousands of miniscule diamonds, weaved into a pattern that was comparable to a vine, ending at a point, where a brilliant, blood red ruby hung, encased in a delicate cage of woven silver. A wave of painful nostalgia washed over Kakashi. This wasn't just any funeral, this was her funeral. This was Rin's funeral. _

"_Obito," His younger self turned to face the figure standing next to him. "I know Rin gave her necklace to me, but I want you to have it. I think it means a lot more to you than it does to me." Kakashi's eyes widened in shock at the scene before him. Not again, he had to stop it. _

"_Don't take the necklace!" he shouted, but no one heard him. _

"_Thanks Kakashi." Obito said, smiling sadly as he grabbed the necklace. "You're a real friend." _

"_I said don't take it!" Kakashi shouted, reaching for Obito, but his hand passed right through his old friend. Suddenly, the whole world around him began to melt. Letting out a desperate scream, he watched everyone disappear until all that was left was that damn necklace. _

Kakashi found himself starting up at his bedroom ceiling, sweating and hyperventilating_. _Well that was an ominous dream. On any other occasion, Kakashi would've wandered to his bathroom to splash some cold water on his face, but he had stayed up late thinking about his day with Anko, he'd never admit it though, so he was exceptionally tired. Drifting back to sleep, he hoped he wouldn't have any more nightmares. Too bad for him the author has a cruel sense of humor and had one more dream in store for

poor Kakashi.

_Once again, Kakashi found himself in a deserted cemetery, and once again, it was raining. _

"_The whole rain thing is getting old." He couldn't help but mumble. When he started walking towards the funeral, it looked as if it was the same one as last time. He could see himself slouching slightly and clinging on to a necklace, but as he drew nearer, he noticed that someone was missing. The equally slouched kid that was standing beside him last time was no longer there. _

"_Obito was a lovely child, so full of life..." _

_It took everything he had to hold back the tears when he realized that this was Obito's funeral. With a slow motion, one that almost looked like it was painful, the younger Kakashi turned around to look somberly at the one trapped in the dream. _

"_You should've never given him Rin's necklace. If you had just kept it like she asked, he'd still be here." Kakashi stared at his younger self with a mortified expression. He was right, it was all his fault. It always had been. "You're the only one who deserved to die." His younger self spat. A black knife was suddenly lodged in Kakashi's abdomen, causing him to scream out in pain. _

That's how Kakashi woke up, screaming his lungs out. He clutched his head and doubled over. Ok, that dream was freaky. He straightened out and slammed his head down onto the pillow. After a few minutes of trying to slow his heavy breathing, Kakashi decided he wasn't getting anymore sleep tonight, so he trudged off to the library.

Curled up on the couch in the library, Anko was busy reading. Don't worry, she hadn't picked up one of Kakashi's dirty books, instead she settled on a thin green book titled, _The History of Tea._ In case it wasn't obvious, I'll point out that the book was insanely boring. The chapter on harvesting tea leaves was just getting good when the door to the library opened. As soon as she saw Kakashi she got the itching temptation to stare and drool. In his haste to run to the library Kakashi hadn't even bothered to throw on a shirt, so all he had on was his favorite pair of striped blue flannel pajama pants. Drooling would not be a good thing, so Anko hid her head behind her book. Because of this, she missed the rosy blush Kakashi had developed while staring at her. Anko herself was barely covered in Sakura's skimpy pair of pajama shorts and a tight camisole. Recovering from the initial shock, Kakashi sat down on the couch next to Anko.

"What brings you to the library at…" he turned to look at the clock, "one in the morning?"

"Funny," she still refused to look at Kakashi, so her voice was slightly muffled as she spoke into her book "I was going to ask you the same question." They sat in a rather thick and uncomfortable silence after that, until Anko spoke up.

"I had a bad dream, and I couldn't sleep."

"Same here." Surrendering her shield of literature, Anko looked at Kakashi with surprise.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." He assured her.

"Weird." She mumbled as she mused. "What did you dream about?"

This was the question he was hoping to avoid.

"Nothing much. What about you?"

"Nothing much." She replied bitterly. That was cold.

"I'll tell you what," He said, preparing to measure her reaction, "You tell me what you're dream was about, and I'll tell you what mine was."

She pondered for a moment, searching his eyes for any hint that he was planning something.

"Sure." It didn't look like he was planning something evil.

"You first." He prompted, much to Anko's dismay. Heaving a sigh, she began her tale.

"I had a dream about the last time I was at my mentor's mansion." She began, pausing to see if he was going to interrupt. When he didn't, she continued. "I don't know if you have already learned this information or not, but I didn't start out life as a thief. I came from a pretty well to do family. My father traded stocks, and my mother was a stay at home mom." Fondness dripped from every word as she spoke, but her usual chill returned as she continued her story. "There was a pretty bad year when I was seventeen, and my Father lost everything. My family could barely support me, and my Mom was six months pregnant." Pausing to swallow her emotions, she took a deep breath. "I did the only thing I could think of to help them. I left. At first, I just wandered around from place to place, doing odd jobs to pay for food, and sleeping where I could, but then I realized I had a knack for pick pocketing. Stealing money right out of rich people's pockets felt good, and it helped me afford a shabby, run down apartment. That's when he found me." She wasn't quite sure if she could continue, but she looked up at Kakashi's face and saw only encouragement. Surely he could understand her, even if a little. "He caught me stealing his wallet right out of his pocket. Instead of turning me over to the police, like I expected him to do, he offered me a place to stay and a job. I was naïve to accept it." Growing slightly reluctant, she twiddled her thumbs. The only thing that kept her going now was the curiosity of what Kakashi's dream would hold. "It was great at first. He taught me all the skills I needed to know, and I would steal whatever he asked of me. I couldn't have asked for a better arrangement, but then, I failed to complete a mission. I got stabbed by a security guard while trying to escape, and my mentor had to send a team to come get me. He was so upset at my obvious failure that he kicked me out, telling me that if he ever saw me again he would kill me. The next morning I woke up in a field somewhere, barely able to remember my own name. Even now my memory still has holes." She sighed, story coming to a close. "I decided from that point on that I would strive to succeed in every endeavor. It killed me to continuing being a thief, but it was the only life I knew. After a while it didn't bother me as much, and now I don't even think about it. The only time I really acknowledge my past is on nights like this, when I dream about suppressed memories." As she ended her story, a single tear slid down her cheek. She reached up to wipe it away, but his hand beat her to it. The delicate touch of his fingertips on her skin made her face heat up.

"I'm sorry Anko." He was looking at her hands in her lap.

"It's fine." She said softly, unsure as to whether he was apologizing for wiping away her tears, or being sympathetic. "It's your turn!" she said excitedly, staring expectantly at him as she waited for him to begin. He let out an exasperated sigh. This was not going to be fun.

"My dream is pretty much the same as yours. It was a nightmare about my past." Was he seriously going to tell her this? Turning his head he could see her staring intently at him, seeming to be completely absorbed by his story. How could he disappoint such a face? "When I was young I had two very good friends. Their names were Rin and Obito. The three of us did everything together. It kinda reminds me of the way Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto are." He chuckled at the comparison. "When I was about ten years old, Rin caught a terrible disease and died." His tone was more serious now. "On her death bed she spoke her final words to me, giving me her favorite necklace." Anko gasped. "Yes, it was that necklace." Kakashi answered before she could ask. "Her final request for me was that I take the necklace, keeping it safe for her. That stupid thing was her most prized possession, and she trusted it to me. After she died, the ruby pendant developed a sort of glow, like a small piece of her stayed with it. I thought nothing of it at the time, but looking back at it now, I think that's when it developed the so called 'curse'. He paused and checked Anko's expression. She looked completely captivated by his words. Glad that she wasn't bored, he continued. "At her funeral, I gave my best friend Obito the necklace. I figured it would mean more to him, since he always fancied her. Two months later he died in a car crash." Anko gasped a second time. "His family tried to give me back Rin's necklace, but I just told them to sell it. For five years that necklace was in circulation. Anyone who was daring enough to buy it died shortly afterwards. When I found out what was happening, I reclaimed it, and I've been keeping it with me ever since, just like she wanted. Unfortunately, it had gotten a lot of publicity over the years that I let it be exchanged, so there were plenty of curious buyers questioning me about it. I told them it was destroyed, in hopes that people would just forget about it." He paused, taking a deep breath.

"Then what?" Anko pressed.

"Well you know the rest. Everyone thought that it disappeared, and I kept it hidden here in the house. That's why I kept tabs on you." He explained. "I knew that if you somehow found out about it you wouldn't be able to resist stealing it, and I couldn't take the risk of it killing someone else."

"Oh." Anko said, the final pieces of the puzzle falling into place.

"I guess I held myself responsible for all those deaths, and I made it my job to protect the public from that necklace."

"It wasn't your fault Kakashi."

"If I had just kept the damn thing like she asked me to then no one would've died." He sounded angry, but he kept his head down so Anko couldn't read his face. A soft hand wrapped comfortingly around his, and he looked at Anko appreciatively. It was nice to have someone there to hold on to.

"How did you find out about the necklace anyway?" He asked playfully, trying to lighten the atmosphere. It worked as Anko smiled knowingly at him.

"After that night at Asuma's house, I suspected you were hiding something, so I did a little research. For yeas I couldn't find anything, but then I came across a few random articles about a cursed necklace. I really didn't think too much of it until your name was mentioned in one of them. The article said that you were the last known person to posses the necklace. Needless to say I was a little suspicious, so I snuck into your house and found that room adjacent to your bedroom. A few nights later I came back, suspecting the necklace was in there, and that's when you caught me." She smiled proudly at her accomplishment of sneaking into his house twice. Kakashi frowned.

"If Sakura had let us keep the cameras none of this would've happened."

"I've got a question for you!" Anko said, suddenly remembering something she'd missed. "Why exactly did you choose me to be part of team seven?"

"I figured anyone who can sneak into my house should be good enough, plus I'd kept tabs on you for so long, it was an obvious choice. I was actually planning to ask you the very day that I caught you sneaking in." They both laughed lightly at the ironic timing. Anko yawned, revealing that she was getting tired. Checking the clock, she saw that it was now three in the morning.

"This was fun Kakashi, but I really need to get some sleep." As she tried to get up off the couch, Kakashi tightened his grip on her hand. She shot him a questioning look.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you go after telling you all my secrets?" His tone was devious and playful, much like his smile. "I hope those weren't all the secrets you have, because if they are you aren't as mysterious as I thought you were." Anko replied, mimicking his attitude. His smile widened, and he crushed her to his chest, arms trapping her there. She was shocked at first, but she decided not to fight. Placing her hands on his wide shoulders, she clung to him. The sensation of her warm blush burning against his cold skin felt so nice. Both exhausted after a long night of emotional stress, they fell asleep, still wrapped in each others arms.

"Should we wake them up?" Sasuke asked, his voice sounding unsure.

"Nah," Sakura answered. "They look so cute! Why spoil the moment?" A bright flash of light erupted, covering the room for a moment. "Naruto!" she shouted quietly. "Did you just take a picture!"

"I figured it might come in handy later." He replied, snickering.

"Both of you, quiet!" Sasuke hissed.

"I thought you wanted to wake them up anyway." Sakura pointed out. Furrowing his brow, Sasuke thought about it for a moment. Embarrassing Kakashi could have serious repercussions, same goes for Anko, but the look on their faces would probably be worth it in the end. Walking up to the couch, Sasuke put one hand on Kakashi, the other on Anko, and gave them a light shake.

Anko felt a light shake move her shoulder. Reluctantly, she opened the eye that wasn't cover by Kakashi's chest, and stared at the three figures before her. What were they doing back so soon? Her 'I could use another hour of sleep' daze began to where off, and realization set in. Just as her mind was registering the situation, Kakashi's posture stiffened, signaling that he was awake as well. They quickly jumped out of each others arms.

"Wha…what are you guys doing back so soon?" Kakashi asked, rubbing the back of his neck like he usually did when he was uncomfortable. "You weren't supposed to be back for another two days."

"Would you like us to give you and Anko some more 'alone time'?" Naruto teased. He probably would've laughed, but the evil glare Anko sent him prevented any further mockery.

"What exactly was going on here?" Sasuke asked, honestly curious.

"We just fell asleep while reading." Anko lied. Too bad for her the intuitive teammates weren't buying it. For her own sake, Sakura decided to spare Kakashi and Anko any further humiliation.

"We came back early because something came up." She explained.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, remembering what he was here for. "You won't believe the job we lined up!"

"Job?" Kakashi was confused.

"You didn't think I'd slack off just because I was on vacation did you?" Sasuke snorted, slightly offended.

"He was monitoring the Akatsuki then entire time we were in Cancun." Sakura griped, rolling her eyes.

"Wait till we tell you who they've decided to trade with." Naruto said, excited.

"Who?" Kakashi asked.

"Orochimaru."

Anko stared at Naruto in shock, praying that she heard him wrong.

"Did you just say Orochimaru?" She asked, wary of the answer.

"Yeah." Naruto replied. "Is that a problem?"

Anko couldn't answer. She was to busy trying to breath. The room began to spin around her, and before she knew it, she blacked out. Kakashi calling her name was the last thing that registered in her conscience.

**A/N-** So that was Chapter 5. I really hope it wasn't too bad. This chapter was necessary for all the background info and what not. Don't worry though, the story picks up again in Chapter 6.

**Next Time…**

It may not be the right thing to do, but Kakashi was going to have to convince Anko to do this mission. If they didn't go after Orochimaru now they risked losing the only opportunity they would get. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you Anko. Trust me." "I'm not going to risk this Kakashi. He meant it when he said he would kill me." Time for drastic measures. He put one arm on either side of her and leaned forward, forcing her head back down on the pillow. "Anko, I need you to do this."

**Chapter 6 will be out before next Monday.** See ya then!


	7. Facing the nightmare

****

A/N-

So here is chapter 6, before Monday as was promised. (I did say monday didn't I?) any way, This chapter is where it kinda picks up, This will be one of the last chapters, tear and the story will wrap up real soon. I hope you enjoy it! 

**Disclaimer- I dont own Naruto.**

**Thanks for the Reviews! They're very encouraging.**

**Chapter 6**

"Wanna tell me what that incident in the library was all about?"

Anko growled. Figures that his voice would be the first thing that she would hear when she regained consciousness. Looking around she realized that she was back in her room, lying in her bed.

"Sorry Kakashi, but I'm sitting this one out."

"Care to explain?"

"If it has anything to do with Orochimaru I refuse to get involved." She turned her back to Kakashi, signaling that she had no desire to continuing speaking on the matter.

"Again, care to explain?"

"No."

Kakashi heaved a sigh of frustration. "Anko you are the most vital part of the team. The mission doesn't happen without you. We need you to do this."

"Kakashi," she turned to him, her eyes desperate, pleading. "I can't do this."

"Tell me why Anko." He sounded concerned. Frustrated with his persistence, Anko sat up and looked him in the eye.

"Kakashi, Orochimaru was my mentor." It probably would've been more dramatic if Anko wasn't so pissed off. The shock prevented Kakashi from forming a coherent reply.

"_He_ was the mentor from your dream?" he asked once he found his voice. Instead of speaking Anko just nodded. Talking might result in her losing control over her suddenly active tear ducts.

This was a serious problem for Kakashi. Orochimaru was one of Akatsuki's more prominent patrons, so any available shots at him needed to be taken. It may not be the right thing to do, but Kakashi was going to have to convince Anko to do this mission. If they didn't go after Orochimaru now they risked losing the only opportunity they would get.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you Anko. Trust me."

"I'm not going to risk this Kakashi. He meant it when he said he would kill me."

Time for drastic measures. He put one arm on either side of her and leaned forward, forcing her head back down on the pillow. "Anko, I need you to do this."

* * *

Anko leaned back, trying to avoid Kakashi's body. Even when her head hit the pillow he kept getting closer.

"Anko, I need you to do this." He whispered harshly, his breath spreading out across her face. What exactly was he trying to do here? "Please do this for me." His eyes were closed, his lips hovering just above hers. Great time not to wear a mask jackass, and what exactly was it she needed to do for him?

"I can't Kakashi."

His bottom lip brushed the corner of her mouth. "I want this Anko, and you're the only one who can do it for me." Were they still talking about the mission? His lips moved to the space under her jaw, causing her to tip her head back. Those damn lips had barely touched her skin and she was already getting hot under the collar. Oh he was so doing this on purpose. Fine, two can play that game.

"But I'm afraid." She whimpered, her hands moving to his shirt and grasping the fabric at his chest desperately.

"I won't let anything hurt you." He had moved down to her collarbone, and was now tracing a line back up to her jaw. The whole hovering thing was starting to drive her insane. Despite her best efforts at self control, the only thing she could think about was the feeling of his lips pressed firmly against her skin. Removing his lips from her face, he shifted over to her ear. "Don't you trust me?"

"Yes." She replied suspiciously, or at least it would sound that way if she could breathe properly. In one quick motion his lips were back to where they started, hovering over hers.

"Then tell me you'll do this."

Sliding her hands over his shirt, she grabbed onto his collar, pulling him closer. "Yes." She sighed. For a moment his lips pressed against hers, gentle but forceful, and then he untangled himself from her grasp.

"Great! I'll go notify the rest of the team."

Her mouth was open, but no sound came out. She watched him leave the room, closing the door quietly after him. Even after he left she was still frozen, eyes wide, mouth agape. That was so not fair.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Sakura asked in her usually sweet voice. Unfocused, Anko just played with the hem of her dress. It was the same type of black halter dress she always wore to this kind of thing; short with a frilly hem, and an oversized bow tying off the top at the back of her neck. "You don't have to do this." Sakura reminded her, the false sweetness replaced with sincere worry.

"We both know that I do." Anko replied, looking her in the eye. Frowning, Sakura nodded and carried a box of supplies into the van where Sasuke and Naruto were waiting.

"Anko." Kakashi said her name softly, trying not to startle her. It startled her a tad since she failed to hear him walk into the garage. "Thanks for doing this."

"No problem." There was heavy sarcasm laced into the words. Heaving a barely audible sigh, Kakashi brushed past her and head to the van. "Wait." She said, pulling on his sleeve in a manner that caused him to turn around. "Look, I'm sorry. As you can imagine I'm a little scared right now." Kakashi pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's going to be ok Anko."

"But what if its not?" She asked, her voice muffled by his silken tuxedo shirt.

"It will be." He assured her.

"But if it's not," she repeated, "If its not, there's something I want you to know." Kakashi clutched her shoulders and held her in front him so that he could see her face. "Kakashi," she said nervously while avoiding eye contact. "I…I…Oh fuck. I can't do this." She threw her head down and turned to leave, but Kakashi gripped her shoulders tighter and forced her to face him.

"Anko," He was using that voice again. "I have something to say too."

"Wha…" Her questioned didn't need to be answered, because Kakashi pushing his lips against hers said everything. His lips moved gently, almost as if he was afraid, but the forceful passion buried beneath the fear refused to be smothered. Anko gasped as he suddenly pulled her tight against his chest, one hand clutching the fabric at her hip, the other burying in the roots of her hair. The opportunity her open mouth presented was too much for Kakashi, and against his better judgment, he slid his tongue into her mouth.

Well that was unexpected. Their pervious kisses had been quite chaste, and Anko never expected him to go this far. The functional side of her brain said 'pull away now before you regret it'. The side that had been lusting after Kakashi since day one was too busy drooling over how firm his chest was to comment, although it did mention something about him being a _really_ good kisser. Anko felt her knees buckle as she fell into the kiss. To hold her self up she wrapped both hands around the back of Kakashi's neck. She would have loved to enjoy the feelings she was getting for just a little bit longer, but Kakashi needed air, and she could probably use some herself. They both pulled away, gasping like fish. Anko smiled when she noticed that Kakashi looked just as dazed as she did. It was nice to know that she affected him just as much as he affected her.

"We better head to the van." Anko said when she could manage to speak.

"Right." Upon arriving in the van, Kakashi and Anko suddenly realized that they had forgotten that there was an audience for their most recent display of affection. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto just stared at them, absolutely appalled.

"We need to get going." Kakashi ordered, trying desperately not to sound breathless. Team seven took that as their cue to not ask any questions, so Sasuke and Sakura swiveled to face their computer screens and Naruto punched the gas. After a quick breath of relief Kakashi flashed Anko a big smile. She rolled her eyes and averted her gaze to the window, but the rosy blush on her cheeks gave away her true feelings. The rest of the four hour drive to Orochimaru's coastal mansion was filled with an extremely awkward silence, so when they finally arrived Anko was tremendously relieved. That is until she realized where she was and what she was about to do. Sensing her dread Kakashi squeezed her hand.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you." He whispered in her ear. "I promise." The lump in her throat prevented her from answering. Instead she gave his hand a squeeze, and then headed off to meet her nightmares head on. Kakashi watched her back disappear into the night, fighting off the horrible feeling that he should've stopped her from going.

* * *

Instead of dealing with her fears in a rational, appropriate manner, Anko decided to drown her fears in champagne.

"Where do these people get this stuff from anyway?" She mused, inspecting her champagne glass.

"It's most likely imported." A feminine voice answered her. Anko spun around to face where the voice came from. A curvaceous woman with unruly black hair and peculiar eyes smiled at her. "Nice to meet you Anko, I'm Kurenai." That name sounded familiar, but Anko couldn't place it. After a moment more, she realized where she had heard it from.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as the light bulb went off.

"Yeah," Kurenai chuckled. "I'm Asuma's wife." Not good, sooo not good.

"I'm really sorry about the whole tennis bracelet thing, honest."

"Don't worry about it!" Kurenai chided, waving her hand. "I don't hold it against you."

"You don't?" Perhaps this woman had too much to drink tonight.

"Of course not!" Kurenai assured her, sounded slightly offended. "If Kakashi trusts you, my husband and I can trust you."

"All the same, I'm really sorry about trying to steal from you guys." Kurenai just smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'll admit, I was pretty angry at first, but I've gotten over it." The way she patted her shoulder a little harder when she said that was starting to scare Anko. "Just between us girls," It appeared she was trying to change the subject, "Kakashi seems to be quite taken with you."

"Is that so?" Anko asked, a tad skeptical.

"I'm serious! He won't stop talking about you. Every time he comes over he's always got some new, humorous story to tell me and Asuma." A minor embarrassed blush crept over Anko's face. Just what humorous stories had he told them? Thankfully, Kurenai decided to spare Anko any further embarrassment.

"Pleasantries aside, I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I will be acting as back up for you tonight."

"Really?" That was a surprise.

"Yep! Lemme know if you run into any trouble." She winked.

"Will do." Anko said with a knowing smile, and with a small wave, Kurenai disappeared into the crowd. Needless to say, the whole situation was odd, but it was nice to know that Kakashi cared enough to call in some extra help. The warm fuzzy feelings didn't last too long for Anko though, because just minutes after speaking to Kurenai, the feed from her earpiece went static.

* * *

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, "What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know!" He hollered back, typing on his keyboard furiously.

"Anko?!" Sakura shouted again, this time into her microphone. "Anko, respond!"

"What happened?" Naruto asked. Although his voice was stern, he seemed to be the only one that wasn't freaking out.

"I lost the feed." Sasuke answered, still madly typing away.

"That's impossible!" _Now_ Naruto was freaking out. "How could that have happened?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." He growled. "Sakura, see if you can get through to Kakashi."

"Right." A few keystrokes later, Kakashi's voice broke through the static.

"Sakura, Sasuke, what happened?"

"We lost contact with Anko."

"What?! Where is she?!" His voice was a whisper, but the anger and distress were still evident.

"Her GPS says she's still at the party, but beyond that I have no idea." The sound of clacking keys stopped. "Sasuke?" Sakura spun around, concerned.

"Sakura, they know."

"What?"

"They know we hacked their system, they knew the whole time." The look of absolute horror on Sasuke's face told Sakura that this was very bad.

"Oh please, be joking." He wasn't. "Naruto!" Sakura ordered, "Get into the party and touch base with Asuma and Kurenai. Let them know the situation, I'll give you instructions after that." Naruto nodded before bolting out of the van. "Kakashi," She was speaking into the microphone again. "You need to find Anko, now."

* * *

"Sakura!" Anko whispered angrily. "Sakura can you hear me?" Useless, absolutely useless. "Dammit!" she hissed. It appeared she was going to have to do this on her own. Standing on her tip toes, she peered over the heads of the people surrounding her. Damn, this room was just too big and too packed. There was no way she was going to find Kakashi or her back up in this mess. "You think it would be easy to find a guy with hair like his." She mumbled. Just as she said that, Kakashi's easily recognizable tuft of silver hair caught her eye. Smiling with relief, she headed in his direction, that is until a tight grasp clamped onto her forearm.

"Anko." Oh dear. That voice. That hideous voice that was feminine, manly, and sinister all at the same time. "Lovely Anko." The words dripped from his mouth like thick syrup.

"Oro…Orochimaru-sama." She could've slapped herself right there, not only did she stutter, she also whipped out the old honorific. Way to be cool and confident.

"You've grown so much over the years dear." The chills running down her spine refused to stop. These weren't the nice chills like the ones she got when Kakashi's whispered in her ear, no these were the bad chills; the run and hide under your mattress chills. She pointlessly struggled against his grasp, trying to make a run for it.

"My my, trying to run away so soon? We've only just reacquainted ourselves. Besides, we haven't even had a chance to discuss your recent escapades." How did he know about that? Her eyes scanned the crowd desperately for some one to rescue. "They won't come for you." He told her, reading her actions. "They're probably still trying to figure out how we found their signal. It seems your little friend Kakashi and his rebellious gang of children underestimated me."

"Orochimaru," Anko hissed violently, tugging on her arm. "Let me go." It was high time she got the hell out of here.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Anko. Don't you remember our little deal?" He bent closer, his face right beside hers, "I warned you, and now I have to kill you." Her eyes grew wider than she ever thought possible, and a shudder racked through her body. Orochimaru chuckled, and dragged Anko's reluctant body through the crowd towards her fate.

**A/N- **So, how did you like it? Hopefully it was good. Umm, yeah.

**Chapter 7 will be out before next Monday.**

**Next time-**

No previews! hehehe, I want to keep these next few chapters under wraps.


	8. On the edge of insanity

**A/N- **I almost didn't make the deadline, hehehe. Ok, so lemme start out by saying, **Thanks for the reviews! **You people are so awesome, I can't even describe it. On to the next order of business, I've received a complaint that Anko was a bit OOC, so **I'd like to submit a formal apology for any OOC-ness.** It's a bit challenging to keep characters in character all the time, and I'll be the first to admit that I really suck at it, but now that It's been pointed out as a problem, I'll work on it. Although be prepared for some OOC-ness in chapter 8. It simply can't be avoided for that chapter. Any ways, love ya for reading this story, and hope the chapter is to your liking.

**Chapter 7**

"Sakura, I can't see her." Kakashi whispered angrily as his eyes swept the crowd.

"I know this is tough Kakashi, but if they know we hacked them then there's a chance they know about the GPS as well. We can't trust what the computer says." Desperately, he continued to search the crowd until his eyes fell upon a familiar face,

"Asuma!" he shouted. The people surrounding him began to stare as he rushed past them, but he didn't care. "Asuma!" he said with relief once he caught up to his friend. "Thank goodness."

"What's up?" Asuma asked, a little concerned. Kakashi was about to explain, but Naruto interrupted him.

"Sensei, Asuma, where's Kurenai?"

"I'm Right here," she replied, walking up to them, "Is something wrong Naruto?"

Taking a deep breath, Naruto explained the problem. "Orochimaru's security team knew we hacked their system, and they cut off our feed to Anko."

"Now Anko is no where to be found, and we can't get in touch with her." Kakashi finished for Naruto.

"So what's the plan?" Asuma asked in a businesslike tone.

"Sakura said that you and Kurenai will go find Orochimaru's right hand man, Kabuto, and see if he knows anything, Kakashi will follow Anko's GPS, and I need to keep the guards occupied."

"All right," Kurenai said with a sharp nod. "You heard Naruto, let's go." With her pushy encouragement, everyone split up and headed to their perspective destinations.

* * *

"Ready Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"I was born ready!" He replied confidently.

"I can't argue with that." Sakura scoffed. "You can begin whenever you feel like it." Putting his ingenuous plan into action, Naruto spun around, 'accidentally' running into one of the waiters.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed, looking down at his suit that was now drenched in champagne. "Watch where you're going jackass!" he yelled at the poor waiter. This particular waiter happened to be having a bad enough night already, and Naruto's comment was the last straw.

"You're the one that ran into me!" he retorted, throwing the emptied tray one to the ground. It made a clashing noise as it hit the pieces of broken champagne glasses.

"Are you trying to start something?" Naruto asked, taking a step towards him.

"Maybe I am!" the waiter stepped forward as well. Bad move, Naruto threw the first punch, hitting the waiter square in the jaw. Even when the waiter hit the ground, Naruto didn't stop. He just jumped down on top of him and began punching him some more. Just as planned, the security guards came rushing over. Only a few came at first, but when Naruto started fighting them as well, every one of them rushed over to try and subdue the flailing teen.

In the van, Sakura laughed at the screen displaying Naruto's fight.

"Awesome job Naruto." She commented, unsure whether or not Naruto could hear her over all the commotion. Switching the feed, she spoke into the microphone once more, "Kakashi, you're free to move."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right way Sakura?"

"Kakashi, if you ask me that one more time I'm going to stop giving you directions and let wander around Orochimaru's mansion for the rest of your life."

"That was a bit dramatic, but point taken."

Kakashi walked silently, yet swiftly down the recently deserted hallway. According to the GPS, Anko was close by.

"Make the next right," Sakura ordered, "Anko should be in the second room on your left."

Anticipation rushed through him, and he felt the urge to walk faster. Part of him hoped that she was in the room, the other part fearing what could possibly be going on if she was there. Finally, Kakashi reached his destination. Wasting no time at all, he threw open the door, only to find that the room was in fact, empty. Reluctantly, he stepped into the dark space before him.

"Anko?" he asked cautiously, but no one answered him. Instead, a seemingly disembodied hand covered his mouth, and an arm wrapped around his torso.

Shit, shit, shit! He should've seen that coming! In a desperate attempt to break free, Kakashi jerked his arm towards his invisible assailant, propelling his elbow backwards in hopes of striking something. Score! His elbow struck what felt like a chin and the grasp that held him tightly loosened, allowing his escape. Locked in a defensive position, Kakashi waited for the mysterious person to emerge. The attacker stepped forward, the dim light from the hallway casting grim shadows on his face.

"Who the hell are you?" Kakashi asked, slightly put out that the guy was anonymous. It would've have been more dramatic if he was a shadowy figure from the past.

"My name is of no concern to you." The author likes to call him Goon number 3.

"What do you want from me?"

"Orochimaru-sama has ordered me to kill you." This was bad. Who ever this guy was, he seemed like a trained professional. "Well maybe not you specifically, cause Orochimaru-sama didn't give me any names. But he did tell me to wait here and kill the guy with silver hair that was bound to walk in here eventually." Ok, maybe this guy was dumber than he looked. "Either way, you've got silver hair and you're here, which means you need to die." Goon number 3 pulled a gun out of some place, it doesn't really matter where he was storing it, and pointed it directly at Kakashi's head. At such short range, Kakashi didn't stand a chance. Adrenaline and survival instincts kicking in, Kakashi ducked down, hoping to catch Goon number 3 off guard. It worked, and the easily surprised Goon number 3 fired an instinctive shot harmlessly over Kakashi's head. Taking advantage of Goon number 3's momentary stun, Kakashi swung his leg out and tripped Goon. Another knee-jerk reaction shot went off, creating a hole in the ceiling. Before Goon number 3 could aim and fire, Kakashi kicked the wrist holding the gun, sending it flying off to some unknown corner of the room. Goon number 3 kicked with his legs, sending him backwards and allowing him to stand. He looked a little nervous now that he was unarmed.

"What's wrong? Can't kill me without a gun?" Kakashi asked, wearing a taunting smirk. Goon number 3 glared, angered by Kakashi's remark. Fear replaced with fury, he launched forward, aiming a fist at Kakashi's face. Too bad for him Kakashi saw the attack coming, and had plenty of time to block the fist with his palm. Keeping a strong hold on Goon number 3's hand, Kakashi twisted it. The pain shooting through his arm caused Goon number 3 to be distracted and lean his shoulder down, giving Kakashi a clear shot at the left side of his face. Kakashi pulled his arm back, giving it a little more momentum before executing a well timed punch towards Goon number 3's face. His fist collided with Goon number 3's eye, sending Goon reeling backwards. Now Kakashi needed to get that gun. The punch caused Goon number 3 to fall to the floor for a second time, so Kakashi decided to buy a little time to search the room by giving him a good kick to the stomach. While Goon number 3 withered in pain, Kakashi scrambled around the room until his hands felt the cold silver of the gun. Walking back to Goon number 3, who was still stuck in the fetal position, Kakashi began to question his resolve to shoot the man before him. Uncertainty over. Kakashi aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. **Phwet!** The silencer on the gun made the shot remarkably quiet, but the scream Goon number 3 couldn't help but let out rang through the room. Kakashi had no intention of killing the man, he just wanted to immobilize him, so he sent the bullet through the man's ankle, causing it to shatter the bone and exit out onto the floor. Without another word, Kakashi left the room, leaving Goon number 3 injured and bleeding on the floor. When he was a ways away, he ditched the gun, throwing it into a nearby room.

"She wasn't there Sakura. It was a trap."

"Did you make it out ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but I need to know what my next move is."

"Go see Asuma and Kurenai, I've been watching them on the monitors and it looks like they've caught an interesting source of information." Kakashi didn't question Sakura, instead he picked up the pace, rushing down the hallway and back into the party.

* * *

"Over there, just beyond the bar."

"Ah!" Kurenai exclaimed, eyes following the direction Asuma had pointed in. "Come on, lets go get him."

Kabuto saw the two coming long before they actually reached him. "Asuma, Kurenai! Are you two enjoying the party?"

"Where is she Kabuto?" Asuma didn't like to waste time.

"I'm quite sure that I have no idea what you're talking about." Kabuto answered, dodging the question.

"You son of a…"

"Now now," Kurenai said, scolding her husband. "Perhaps we should take this interrogation to a more appropriate spot."

"Excellent suggestion." Kabuto praised, leading the two towards a hallway near the back of the ball room.

Now that they were away from curious, eavesdropping guest, Kurenai dropped the polite façade. "We don't have time for your games Kabuto, tell us where Anko is or we're going to kill you."

"Don't kid yourself Kurenai," Kabuto spat, also choosing to disregard his former pretence. "We both know you won't kill me, and even if you could I still wouldn't tell you."

Asuma wrapped one hand around Kabuto's neck and slammed him against the wall. "Tell us Kabuto." A sarcastic laugh was Kabuto's only reply. Kurenai slapped him across the face.

"How can you be so loyal to such a vile man?" She asked. Of course, Kabuto said nothing. Just because they knew the extent of his loyalty didn't mean they needed to know why. Kurenai raised her hand to slap him a second time, but Asuma caught her.

"Wha…" She noticed his gaze was elsewhere, and she followed it to see Kakashi coming down the hall way. "Kakashi." She sighed; glad she wouldn't have to put up with Kabuto anymore. Kakashi didn't even bother with a greeting, he walked straight up to Kabuto and punched him.

"I need to know where Orochimaru took Anko, now, and you can bet I won't be as generous as the two people next to me."

"Don't act tough Kakashi. I already know you won't kill me as long as I withhold the information you need." Kabuto's words sounded nasally as he struggled to talk with blood dripping down his face.

"Do you really want to test that theory?" Hopefully he wouldn't call his bluff.

"Why do you care so much for that girl anyway Kakashi? You don't need her."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"With the distraction Naruto-kun has offered, you could easily steal the Onyx Snake Vase by yourself." Kakashi had never thought about that, but now that he did, it made sense.

"Kakashi, we need to save Anko." Asuma said the phrase not only as a reminder, but as a warning too. Heeding his friends words, Kakashi slammed Kabuto's head against the wall.

"I'm not here to play games Kabuto; I'm here to save a life." A moment passed, where Kakashi and Kabuto stared each other down.

"Orochimaru-sama is taking her to one of the rooms upstairs, to kill her no doubt. Follow this hallway until you reach a fork; take the one on the left until you reach a set of stairs. Those stairs will take you up to the second floor"

"How do I know you're not lying?" Kakashi asked, doubtful of Kabuto's instructions.

"It never mattered whether or not I told you, I've stalled you long enough to ensure you won't make it in time." Damn, he was right. Frustrated, Kakashi punched Kabuto once more before running down the hallway.

* * *

Desperation swept over Anko as they reached the top of the stairs. Having lived here before, she knew exactly where Orochimaru was taking her. She peered over the twisted bronze of the railing. They were on the second floor now, walking down a narrow hallway that had a wall to the right, and a railing to the left. The left of the hallway opened up, giving a clear view of the first floor that was many feet below. A new sense of urgency filled Anko's lungs, making her mind swim. She needed to escape, now. Using her free arm, she swung upwards, hoping to smash Orochimaru's jaw with a well placed left hook. Too bad for her Orochimaru was a seasoned fighter, he blocked her attack with ease.

"Listen you bastard, Kakashi is coming for me, and when he gets here the two of us are gonna kick your ass."

"You were more polite when you were younger." Taking advantage of the grip he had on both her arms, Orochimaru shoved Anko against the railing. The pain flared up as her spine smashed against the cold metal causing her to wince.

"He won't come for you silly girl. You failed him, just as you failed me. He no longer has any desire to keep you around."

"You're wrong!" She shouted, mostly trying to convince herself. What if he wasn't wrong? What if Kakashi didn't care now that she had screwed up? What if history really does repeat itself? She twisted her head to the side, unable to bear such thoughts. Now she had a wonderful view of the first floor, making her realize just how precariously suspended she was. Crap, this was not a good spot to be pinned. Shaking her torso, she struggled to break free.

"I'm not going down without a fight, and I'll make sure part of you goes with me."

"Such arrogance." Orochimaru said, chastising her with a loud slap. Her head jerked to the side automatically, and she could feel blood start to run down her cheek. One slap wasn't going to stop her. She thrashed violently, kicking her legs and shaking her shoulders. Orochimaru's grasp finally slipped, pushing her back. At first she was thrilled, and then she realized that she had lost her footing, and the only thing keeping her from falling was the rail that she was currently tripping over. Her hands searched for something to grab, but there was nothing, just the air rushing past her as she fell.

"Anko!" a voice called for her, such a familiar voice.

"_I'm so sorry Kakashi. I'm so sorry I failed you."_

**A/N- **Cliffy! Woot! Hehehe, sorry bout that, but it had to be done. I sincerely hope you liked it, and that you'll stick around for the next chapter. The next chapter is quite a milestone, as it is the **grand finale!** Stick around to read it! Love ya much for reading!

**Chapter 8 will be out before next Wednesday! **

**Next time….**

Sorry, no previews, you're just gonna have to wait and see.

Anonymous reader- Maxine, if you're not going to put a preview why add the Next time thingy?

Author- Because I'm wonderfully devious. Muwahahahaha!

Anonymous reader- I sooo hate you right now.

Author- Say what you want, as the author I can do as I please.

Anonymous reader- (cough) Evil! (cough)

Author- **I don't own Naruto!** But I do own a giant stuffed pink frog named Mr. Froggles.


	9. Fin

Chapter 8

**A/N- **The final chapter! Isn't it exciting! I think it is. Hehehe. I love you all dearly for reading my story, I and sincerely hope that you enjoyed it. Hugs all around Now some of the scenes might seem rushed, and well, that's cause they are. Sorry bout that, I wrote all the scenes separate from each other, so all of the transitional stuff was kind of an after thought. Anyways, hope the ending is satisfying.

**Chapter 8**

Her hands searched for something to grab, but there was nothing, just the air rushing past her as she fell.

"Anko!" a voice called for her, such a familiar voice.

"_I'm so sorry Kakashi. I'm so sorry I failed you." _

He could see her falling. He could see her falling and he couldn't move fast enough. Legs already hurting, lungs already aflame, he ran forward, eyes focused only on her. Now this moment would have been absolutely wonderful, had Kakashi remembered that falling objects, especially heavy ones, usually have pretty intense impacts. Instead of catching Anko bridal style as planned, his stamina lacking body didn't have the strength to support her and they both ended up in a heap on the floor. Quite honestly the whole thing was hysterical, but in a life or death situation, people tend not to laugh.

"Great catch Kakashi." she griped while trying to prop herself up.

"Just be thankful you're not dead." Kakashi retorted while doing the same. After getting himself situated, Kakashi helped Anko to her feet. That's when they noticed Orochimaru leaning against the railing and staring down at them, totally not amused. Subtly pushing Anko behind him, Kakashi leaned forward protectively.

"Looks like you made it in time after all Kakashi. I suppose Kabuto wasn't an interesting enough distraction?"

"You should've known I wouldn't go after the vase. She's my only priority."

"Yes, well I had hoped that you weren't as chivalrous as you often appear. Clearly such misguided hope was my ultimate downfall." Orochimaru began to walk down the stairs, and Kakashi moved closer to Anko. Noticing Kakashi's defensiveness, Orochimaru felt he should clarify his actions.

"Don't be so fearful Kakashi. I no longer have any intention of killing her." "Why not?" Kakashi asked, his eyes watching Orochimaru's every move.

"You choose not to steal my prized possession, so it seems fair that I let you keep yours." As he spoke that last part his gaze moved towards Anko. "She will have to pay a price though. After all, she failed to comply with the terms of our little deal."

Kakashi extended his arm to shield Anko. "If you think I'm going to let you so much as touch her, you're more mental than I thought." Orochimaru chuckled as he withdrew the knife he had hidden on his person.

"Blood must be spilled. If not hers, then whose?"

"Mine." Kakashi answered all traces of fear gone from his face.

"Very well." Orochimaru raised the small blade, aiming for Kakashi's shoulder.

"NO!" Anko shouted. As her conscience finally caught up with her surroundings, she shoved Kakashi out of the way, and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that would surely come. She waited, but nothing happened. Warily, she opened her eyes, and gasped at what she saw. The blade of the knife had stopped just inches from where her heart beat in her chest, prevented from piercing her flesh by Kakashi's hand. He had managed to regain his balance after being so rudely shoved out of the way, and placed his hand in front on the knife, thoroughly halting its motion. Deep red blood dripped from his hand and splattered onto the clean white tiles. Shock wearing off, Orochimaru removed the blade from Kakashi's hand. Kakashi winced as the serrated edges tore at his flesh a second time. The pain caused him to fall to his knees, and Anko immediately leaned down next to him. Before she had a chance to say something to him, Orochimaru cut her off.

"His blood did indeed spill." He looked down at the floor, and then turned to leave. "You're debt is cleared Anko." He shot her one last glance. "But I suggest that you don't visit me again. As you know I find it very hard to be merciful on multiple occasions."

When she was sure Orochimaru was gone Anko clasped onto Kakashi, arms reaching around his shoulders.

"Kakashi, are you ok?"

"Yeah," he replied reassuringly. "The adrenaline is still pumping so I can't really feel it anymore."

She hugged him tighter. "You're such a dumbass!"

"You're welcome Anko! I'm really glad you didn't die too."

She buried her face in his shoulder and giggled slightly. "Thanks Kakashi."

"Let's get out of here."

"Yeah."

* * *

The high of making it out alive wore off once they were headed home, and Anko could sense Kakashi brooding as Sakura dressed his wounds. Kakashi didn't say a word the entire trip home, and Anko couldn't figure out what his problem was. Three quarters of the way home, Anko finally got the nerve to ask him.

"Kakashi?"

He shifted so that he was looking out the window, back to her. She decided not to ask the question. When they arrived home, Kakashi stalked off to his room, not saying a word the whole way there. Anko opened her mouth to address him, but he just hurried up the stairs, ignoring her.

"Jackass." Anko mumbled as she closed the door to her room, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over.

"Fine!" she exclaimed after a moment of self pity. "If he can't deal with my failure, then I'm not going to deal with him." She marched out of her room, still struggling against her tear ducts as she kept up with the angry façade.

"Sakura," She asked, walking up to the pink haired girl

"What's up Anko?"

"I need you to give me a suit case."

* * *

As soon as the door clicked shut Kakashi finally released all his pent up anger. Using his good hand, he punched the wall next to him. On a good day, his fist probably would've gone through the wall, but today was not a good day. Instead, his hand created a small dent, his knuckles starting to bruise almost instantly. Now with both hands aching terribly, he collapsed horizontally on his bed; feet dangling off the edge, toes touching the floor. This was his fault, all of it. She had almost died. If he was just seconds later she would've fallen to the floor and died. On the way home he couldn't bear to look at her. He was afraid that she might hate him. Hate him for putting her in danger like that. Smothering his mouth with a pillow to block the sound, he screamed angrily. He lay like that for a long time, pillow covering his face, until a knock on the door forced him to get up.

"What is it Sakura?" he asked, peeking around the door.

"It's Anko. She came by my room earlier and asked for a suit case." Kakashi didn't even bother to ask, he just stormed past her, heading straight for Anko's room.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked, as he entered the room.

"Packing," She replied, sounding annoyed. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Leaving." He replied, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from putting anything else in the suitcase. With a jerk of her arm Anko freed her wrist and placed the shirt she was holding in her suitcase.

"Excellent observation. If you're finished pointing out the obvious I'd like to finish packing." She brushed past him, going to the closet. As she skimmed through the remaining clothes, she felt a hand wrap around her waist, another coming across her chest to grip her shoulder. It was the same embrace they shared when she tried to steal the necklace.

"Enough sarcasm Anko, tell me why you're leaving."

"This house is too crowded for me." She replied stoically. Her obvious attempt to annoy him was working.

"Even if I let you walk out the door, where would you stay."

"I've been homeless before. I'll be able to manage until I can get a place."

The thought of her sleeping on the streets was not a pleasant thought for Kakashi. Wriggling out of his grasp, she returned to her suitcase and began closing it.

"What is your problem?!" He shouted, finally giving in to his temper.

"You!" She shouted back, turning to face him.

"Why?" His tone grew dark as he approached her, stopping just a few inches in front of her.

"Because of the mission."

Kakashi mistook her meaning. "I came back for you didn't I?!"

"You should have never let me go in the first place!" she screamed, eyes closed, fists clenched. She could feel him looking at her, but she couldn't pick up her head and meet his gaze. Squeezing her eyelids tighter, she fought back the tears that threatened to break through.

"You should've never come back for me if you were going to regret it." Her voice was barely above a whisper. The almost tangible anger in the air had finally worn her thin. It didn't matter any more, none of it mattered anymore. She would leave this mansion, and she would add his name to the list of people that wouldn't, and could never care about her. Was she so horrible of a person that even he, her last hope, could not return her feelings?

"Anko…" The dark tone was still present, but now it was out of concern than frustration. His fiery little Anko had never looked so despondent before. "Anko I never regretted saving you."

"If you hadn't wasted time chasing after me, you could have completed the mission." He didn't reply. His lack of response seemed to confirm her fears.

"I'll leave imeadiately."

* * *

The words she had said played over and over again in his head.

"_I'll leave imeadiately."_

That was a good thing, right? That's what he had wanted her to do. She needed to leave before something happened to her, before he put her in danger yet again. He felt her arm brush his as she stepped passed him, heading for the door. He turned slightly, watching her out of the corner of his eye. She was going to leave. She was going to walk right out that door and never come back.

"Anko." He called, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment. Turning around, he saw that she had stopped with her hand on the door knob. The thought of her leaving was more than he could take. He grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around to face him. By cupping both hands around the base of her neck, he forced her to meet his gaze.

"You're not going to walk out that door. Not while I'm here to stop you." Anko was getting the severe itch to roll her eyes.

"Why can't I?" her temper was flaring again. There was no reply to her question. Putting an angry finger on his chest she pushed him away. "I don't think you know why you want me to stay. Hell, I don't know why you want me to stay!" A hand wrapped around her extended finger.

"Why are you so reluctant to leave? If you're so convinced that I don't want you here anymore, why did you stop?" Now it was her turn to be silent.

"Because…" No, she couldn't say it. Even if she did admit it, her feelings would remain unrequited, but at the same time, if that was the case it didn't matter anymore right?

"Because I love you dammit!" she yelled stomping her foot childishly. "Because I hang on every word you say, hoping you'll say something, _anything_ that shows you acknowledge me. Because I love the way it feels when you whisper in my ear, and how even the softest touch from you makes my spine tingle and my heartbeat faster." She walked closer, her eyes looking up at his with indignation. "I'm leaving because I can't bear the thought of being with you, but I stopped because I don't know how to live with out you." That was definitely _not _the answer Kakashi expected. Anko waited patiently for him to answer, but he just stared at her dumbfounded. "Don't you have anything to say?!" she asked irritably.

* * *

"Don't you have anything to say!?"

What was he supposed to say! She had just confessed for goodness sake! Couldn't he have a moment to figure out how to express himself! Still waiting for an answer, her stare grew slightly violent. Ok, out of time. Kakashi decided to reply in the best way he knew how. He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her against his chest. After a few more seconds of staring into her eyes, he settled on what he wanted to say.

"Anko, do you really love me? Even after I put your life in danger, and will probably end up doing so on a regular basis?"

"Is that the best you could come up with!?"

"Forgive me for not being as eloquent as you, the wonderfully perfect Anko."

"I thought you didn't like sarcasm." This was not going as planned.

"Anko, please."

"Yes, Kakashi, I can." Now that was a good answer. He kissed her lightly on the corner of her lips, lingering just a second longer than necessary.

"Tell me Kakashi." She ordered, only slightly breathless.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me you love me." A finger against his lips stopped him from responding immediately like he would've liked too. "Even though I'll probably fail a million times at everything, and I'm sarcastic, and mean, and I have_ really_ bad morning breath." Again, he lightly kissed the corner of her lips.

"Anko I honestly love you, morning breath and all. You could never fail in my eyes, because you'll always be perfect to me." Unexpectedly, she smacked him hard on the arm.

"Then why the hell were you angry at me!" she yelled.

"I wasn't!" he yelled back, clutching his arm where she smacked him. That really hurt.

"You wouldn't even look at me when we got back from the mission. Why?"

"I was angry at myself!" He finally admitted. "I couldn't stand the fact that I had put you in danger."

"Oh." She said, glancing sideways at the floor.

"Is that why you were leaving?" He asked, incredulous. "You thought I was mad at you?"

"Well…no….maybe. Ugh! Why does it matter!?" Unable to resist the humor in the situation Kakashi chuckled. Then he did what he had been itching to do since he'd walked into the room, he shoved Anko against the wall and kissed her. As usual, it took Anko a minute to react from the shock, but what was unusual was the force that she kissed back with. Her hands roamed across his chest and shoulders, fingers running through his hair occasionally. It was even _her_ tongue that forced open _his_ mouth. The taste of her was so intoxicating to him. It wasn't sweet; no it was more of a citrus tart flavor. He kissed her harder, pushing her back further into the wall, and causing her to moan.

"Kakashi." She whispered around his lips. That was all he could take. Ten seconds later, he had her pinned down on the bed, lips roaming across her neck, hands clawing at her shirt.

"Kakashi." She said again. It wasn't the breathy whimper he loved to hear. This time it was a stern tone, a warning that said 'knock it off before I kick your ass'. He sat up, knees supporting his weight, legs still straddling her hips. She propped her self up so she could look him in the eye, but didn't remove her hips from under him.

"Not that this wouldn't be a great way to make up after our first serious argument, but to be honest I really don't wanna do this right now."

"Why not?" He asked huskily, finger tips tracing across the bare skin on her chest.

"Because," She said, grabbing the bandaged hand that was touching her skin and shoving it in his face. "This is why. I want your hands in perfect condition."

"Why?" he was still confused.

"Do you seriously have to ask that question?" she scoffed, gently kissing his injured hand.

"Oh."

Laughing, she pushed his chest away, signaling that she wanted to get off the bed. Swinging his leg around, he let her slide off.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her move towards her suitcase.

"Unpacking. What's it look like I'm doing?" He hopped off the bed, deciding to help her.

"Staying."

_

* * *

_

_A few months later…_

"Spring again." Anko sighed, fingers brushing gently across the delicate flower petals. Her and Kakashi walked hand in hand through the garden, heading towards the fountain. "You know it's been about a year since I first got here."

"Has it?" Kakashi asked, gaze far away. Anko rolled her eyes, she knew that look.

"What are you plotting?" she asked.

"Nothing!" he turned to her, eyes shinning with a perfect innocence. She glared at him, eyes narrowing.

"You know, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were acting really weird this morning. They kept smiling at me, and Sakura looked so damn happy she was about to cry."

"Is that so?" He looked away again.

"You infuriate me to no end." She growled stomping ahead of him. Catching her around the arm, he pulled her towards him and whispered in her ear.

"Let me make it up to you."

Tilting her head up to his, she smiled.

"Maybe after we visit the fountain." She sauntered towards their destination, adding an extra sway to her gait. Kakashi looked at her retreating form and smiled. After a quick dig around his pocket, he retrieved a small black velvet box and hid it behind his back. With a deep breath he followed after her.

"_You're a terrible thief Anko." _

"_Why is that Kakashi?" _

"_Because it's so obvious that you've stolen my heart."_

**_The End _**

**

* * *

**

**A/N-** So, I really hate this chapter, not my best work ever, but I think the very last part turned out really nice. Those last lines where definitly some of my chesseiest ever, but hey, Ending on a really chessey moment is nice. At least I think it is.

**_Special thanks-_ **

To all those who reviewed while the story was being typed…

**Dreamer-by-Day:** My very first reviewer for this fic! That makes you extra special! Thanks!

**JirTsu:** TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS SOOOO AWESOME! Hehehe, I loved your super enthusiastic reviews.

**Rden:** Third review! Did I mention 3 is my lucky/favorite number? Thanks!

**Prescripto13:** You were there reviewing through the whole thing, and you even challenged my knowledge of the French language! You are definitely one of my top favorite reviewers. Super duper, extra special thanks goes out to you! Merci beaucoup!

**Cassiopeia:** My only anonymous reviewer. If I ever write a sequel to this story, it shall be dedicated to you. Your compliments always made me gush. Always! You're such a supportive reviewer, thank you so much!

**Konoha's White Fang:** Can I just say, Your pen name is super! Hehehe. I was soooo happy when you said my story was well written, (even though I have to disagree at times), that's a really nice compliment in my book. Thanks!

**Slack-jawed cheese hugger:** The _only_ person to give me any constructive criticism! Thank you for that. I'm always striving to improve my writing so it's nice to get some help now and then. Thank you!

Love you all for reading! Hope it was as fun for you as it was for me. Till next time...sweet.serenity.crave, signing out! (Muwahahahahaha!)


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